Untitled 1963

This untitled piece by Robert Rauschenberg is a mixed media work on canvas. Looking at this work, I get a sense of artmaking as a process of layering and collage, of bringing different elements together to create a new whole. The texture here is a combination of smooth printed surfaces and areas where the paint is more visible. The Kennedy image is rendered in warm, almost sepia tones, while the other sections feature cooler blues and blacks. The physical presence of the medium is definitely felt through the brushstrokes and the way the images are layered on top of each other. Note the dense strokes of dark paint at the bottom left of the canvas – they seem to anchor the more ephemeral images above. This piece is reminiscent of some of Warhol's screen prints from the same period. Rauschenberg and Warhol were both interested in how images circulate in culture and how they can be repurposed to create new meanings. It's a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation.