1. ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG 1935-2008

2. BIOGRAPHY theartstory.com Born in Port Arthur, Texas, to a strict Christian family. Until the age of 13, he Robert planned to be a minister. But, since his church was against dancing, and he was a good dancer, he was discouraged from pursing this career. He went to U of Texas and was expelled because he refused to dissect a frog. He went to war and worked as a medical technician in the navy. He drifted after the war, but finally ended up in Paris to study at the Julian Academy. His interest in the art develops, until he enrolled in Black Mountain College, led by Josef Albers, who criticized his work harshly at first. He moves to NYC in 1949…just when the Abstract Expressionist movement is getting going. 1953 starts painting…White Paintings, then Black Paintings He meets Cy Twombly, and they travel. Rauschenberg makes his first assemblages from junk he collects in the Italian countryside.. He goes on to include text and objects in his paintings. He calls these “combines” because they combined element. 1953 Close friendship with jasper Johns, began collaborative projects with Cage and Cunningham. He began to do more collaboration… even with a dance company. He continues t o travel, believing that art could change society… he travels a lot to developing countries, using art to bridge the cultural and economic differences.

3. NOTES: Engaged in questioning the definition of a work of art and the role of the artist, Rauschenberg shifted from a conceptual outlook where the authentic mark of the brushstroke described the artist's inner world towards a reflection on the contemporary world, where an interaction with popular media and mass- produced goods reflected a unique artistic vision. Rauschenberg merged the realms of kitsch and fine art, employing both traditional media and found objects within his "combines" by inserting appropriated photographs and urban detritus amidst standard wall paintings. Rauschenberg believed that painting related to "both art and life. Neither can be made." Following from this belief, he created artworks that move between these realms in constant dialogue with the viewers and the surrounding world, as well as with art history.

4. AN OVERVIEW…. Elegy to Robert Rauchenberg: Art 21 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNsIYldmNts

5. HOW DO YOU CREATE AN ASSEMBLAGE? What is the goal of these? What feelings do they evoke in the viewer?

6. HOW DOES AN ASSEMBLAGE CREATE MEANING? Interview with Rauschenberg https://www.youtube.com/wa tch?v=PiCnCN2NV-E Monogram 1955 - 1959

7. HOW DOES THIS PIECE REFLECT THE INFLUENCE OF NEVELSON AND RAUSCHENBERG?