Art Box 1963

Robert Rauschenberg's "Art Box" is made of wood and mixed media, though the exact date is unknown. What strikes me is the wooden structure which seems to be a repurposed box. There's something so tender about using found materials, about letting the history of an object seep into the artwork. The interior has been painted over and bears a faded blue stamp that once denoted a Public Telephone. On one side, you can see stenciled text and an arrow, hinting at its former life, its past utility. I love the idea of the arrow as a sign of direction. It suggests forward motion, yet here it sits, pointing upwards on a stationary object, almost mocking its original purpose. Rauschenberg reminds me of Kurt Schwitters in his desire to elevate the discarded, and of course, the Dadaists, who found art in the everyday. It is so cool how the piece embraces ambiguity, inviting us to see the world with new eyes.