Robert Rauschenberg

The piece of art which I have chosen to write about is called Shades by
Robert Rauschenberg made in 1964. The artwork is a combination of six
lithographs on Plexiglas panels fitted into an aluminium frame with a light
bulb shining from the back to show the combinations of the six images.
The reason why I chose to write about this image is because it
incorporates the theme of apart because of the separate panels, but
when viewed from one angle it can be seen as together since it makes
one image. I thought this idea was really unique and maybe I can
incorporate it into my future works.
On each layer of Plexiglas, Rauschenberg has lithographed numerous
images taken from newspapers and magazines. Due to the darkness of
the image and several permutations of the artwork, it is difficult to
describe how the artwork looks. For this example, I will be describing the
image shown in the background. In the front Plexiglas, there seems to
what may appear as to be an old railway bridge made from stone but from
first glance it may appear as an eye from a statue with the column
appearing as the noise. At the bottom right, there appears to be some
upside-down numbers. Behind it towards the left, there is a chariot with a
single male passenger being pulled by a horse. Since this image is on a
separate sheet of Plexiglas, it is more faded giving the appearance that its
opacity has been lowered. Further back, it is becoming increasingly more
difficult to identify each image. I think I can see several statues circling
one area with what appears to be a vase-like structure (however, it could
be a separate image). At the top right, I can see the numbers again but
the right way up and behind that, in a similar fashion, there are letters
also. There are also some patterns like old paint flaking off a wall and
towards the back there is part of a circular image but it is also hard to
identify. In between the two vertical steel bars at the back, there is
another Plexiglas panel, separate from the rest. This may be its own
standalone image which may reflect what is in front of it (or behind given
the order of the lettering). As you can already see, there are many
different interpretations of the image depending on the order of the layers
and the angle at which you view the artwork. This shows that the artwork
is seen in the way that the viewer wants to see it which makes it more
personal to them. In addition, the images shown are obviously of places
so it relates to my core idea.
I think that the artist is trying to say that we all have our own
interpretation of life. This is because certain parts of the images stick out
to a viewer, but to another, it may not. In addition, the fact that the
layers can be rearranged emphasises the fact that we have control over
own lives and how we choose to see it. Each layer of Plexiglas may
represent a moment in life but they are separated. The light bulb

illuminates these images and weaves then into one image showing that
although the places may be separated, they are all part of one thing.
Next, I will need to research an artist who creates artworks of places in an
abstract form to convey particular emotions about. This will help me gain
more ideas when for when I will create my Final Piece. I will also need to
conduct more media experiments so I can decide what medium I will use when it
comes to creating my Final Piece.