Untitled (Venetian) 1973

This, Untitled (Venetian), by Robert Rauschenberg, is a three-dimensional assemblage made of found objects. It’s about the poetry of stuff! The materials are humble: wooden boxes, a tree branch, and a curtain. Everything is worn, weathered, patinated by time, with the boxes particularly catching my eye, precariously perched on a wooden stick. It looks as if the boxes are stepping stones or a strange kind of ladder, and the whole contraption is leaning up against the lace curtain. There’s a beautiful tension between the rough textures of the wood, and the delicate, almost bridal, feel of the lace. It's pure Rauschenberg, this odd and beautiful juxtaposition. It reminds me of Kurt Schwitters Merzbau projects, where art spills off the canvas into the space of the world. It is art, but not precious, not separate, it's a part of lived experience.