Pop Art Forerunner Robert Rauschenberg died at 82
May 18, 2008
The American artist Robert Rauschenberg passed away May 13 at age 82. Rauschenberg gained fame in the 1950s transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art. Several of his works — including “Canyon,” which featured a stuffed bald eagle affixed to a canvas; “Monogram,” a stuffed Angora goat on top of a painted panel; and “Bed,” a quilt, sheet and pillow slathered with paint and framed on a wall — became icons of postwar modernism. Born Milton Ernest Rauschenberg, he briefly attended the University of Texas at Austin in 1943 and served in the U.S.... Read more »
The Artist’s Mother ~ Haring, Hockney, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Picasso …
May 10, 2008
For this special day, honoring Motherhood, I thought to look at how some artists have depicted their own mother or an archetypal mother. Who’s Mom? The artists’ real mothers are displayed as persons with their own life. She is an individual with a personal life and character as is witnessed by her child, the artist. By painting his/her mother, child - mother relationship is revealed by the fact that the artist paints his mother and how she is depicted. In contrast, the ‘mother and child’ images are simpler and softer. They symbolize the child’s innocence, mother... Read more »
American Conceptual Artist Barbara Kruger Probes Your Views
May 9, 2008
Barbara Kruger juxtaposes mass media photographs with biting slogans. Her art both questions and condemns mass media’s ways of control self-identity, desire, and public opinion. In their trademark black letters against red background, her slogans are instantly recognizable. Much of her often razor-sharp text questions the viewer about feminism, classicism, consumerism, and individual autonomy and desire, although her black-and-white images are taken from the popular magazines that promote the very ideas that Barbara Kruger is disputing. Examples are: “Your body is a battleground”... Read more »
