Composition with space and balls, 2020, acrylic, oil, hot glue, oil pastel, fishing line on canvas, 150 х 100 х 4 cm.
Magician (1959) Robert Rauschenberg, Combine: oil, fabric, wood, printed paper, printed reproductions, and metal on canvas with fabric pouch and string, 65 3/8 x 38 1/8 x 16 1/8 inches (166.1 x 96.8 x 41 cm). Private collection At: https://images.app.goo.gl/UmwK1stQmo7kYkf78 (Accessed 18.11.2020)
While working on defining the boundaries between painting and sculpture, I studied the work of Robert Rauschenberg. I tried to use one of his works "Magician" (1959) and compare it with one of the mines.
The "Magician" attracted my attention due to the external similarity with my work. Here I see the person himself, where the circle will be his face, and the board protruding from the canvas will resemble the hidden bottom of a box, from which the magician will soon take out a bag of coins.
Rauschenberg did not plan his works, they arose in the process, and he let the material be itself, did not work according to the plan and used what was at hand. ("Robert Rauschenberg and Calvin Tomkins: A Conversation about Art and Life", Recorded February 5, 2006, starting at 8:30 At: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2005/robert-rauschenberg (Accessed 12/23/2020). My process developed in approximately the same way. There was a material, a canvas with a hole and the work logically moved on, other objects and colours appeared. I left the painting it stayed. As a result, what was left was left.
In the 50/60 years, abstract abstractionism dominated in America. The consequence was “Rauschenberg's enthusiasm for found materials and his rejection of the angst of the Abstract Expressionists, ..., led him to search for a new means of expression. He found his signature style by embracing non-traditional materials while always demonstrating rigor and concern for formal composition". (The Metropolitan Museum of Art. online, At: https://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/listings/2005/robert-rauschenberg (Accessed 12/23/2020)
At first, I was interested in the external resemblance. Open space in canvas. The presence of spherical and hanging elements.
But the difference in technique was obvious. Robert Rauschenberg uses collage to create layering. He collects images and objects of everyday life that will evoke associations in the viewer and create images. “Rauschenberg left a bold and indelible mark on the 20th century. His combines, which integrated the flotsam and trash of everyday life, including the artist's own duvet in Bed (1955), were neither painting nor sculpture, and proved that anything could be the material of art. " (Alex Needham (2016) online, At: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/nov/19/robert-rauschenberg-just-something-be-around (Accessed 12/23/2020). In my work balls of light plasticise turn into these objects from “the everyday world”. Rather, they do not communicate with the viewer but are in a relationship with the drawn balls, in other words, they are in communication with themselves.
The artist uses colour as a unifying element. The chosen colour complements the narrative, for example, black evokes dark connotations, while pink or red brings energy or refers to bloodstains.
My colour, compared to his, is not so bold. No layering, no collage. I paint it on a blank canvas, and the artist worked with colour on top of newspaper clippings, fabric or other objects. I chose the development of blue because it supports the colour of the balls. Besides, blue would create a black spot effect, so that the holes in the canvas combine into one element.
But what if changes in my work begin with switching on an ultraviolet lamp? The colour begins to show depth, brush movements appear, additional space on the canvas is visible (unfortunately, it is difficult to see this in photographs). These effects are complemented by the cuts of the canvas.
As a result, I can conclude that in the process of work, the material was bringing me to something. How well did it come out? What can this work say?
Here is an illusion game. The balls interact with each other, and as a result, the object is confused with its copy. In Rauschenberg's work, all objects are themselves from which narrative can be composed. The title of the work plays an important role in reasoning. My work "Composition with space and balls" asks the viewer to search for composition, try to see the play of open space and balls, how it is influenced by the change of light.
In the beginning, the piece was overloaded with objects, but then, the only needed things have remained - a unifying colour, a form supporting the space of the canvas, balls, discussing among themselves. If there is no UV light, there is a feeling of incompleteness, because the main element (the biggest ball) is flat and not juicy. The work must be “switched on”, as well as, the thought process, and then the work becomes full and semantic.
Comments