Robert Rauschenberg - Strawboss
Robert Rauschenberg
Robert Rauschenberg’s art has always been one of thoughtful inclusion. Working in a wide range of subjects, styles, materials, and techniques, Rauschenberg has been called a forerunner of essentially every postwar movement since Abstract Expressionism. He remained, however, independent of any particular affiliation. At the time that he began making art in the late 1940s and early 1950s, his belief that “painting relates to both art and life” presented a direct challenge to the prevalent modernist aesthetic.
The celebrated Combines, begun in the mid-1950s, brought real-world images and objects into the realm of abstract painting and countered sanctioned divisions between painting and sculpture. These works established the artist’s ongoing dialogue between mediums, between the handmade and the readymade, and between the gestural brushstroke and the mechanically reproduced image. Rauschenberg’s lifelong commitment to collaboration—with performers, printmakers, engineers, writers, artists, and artisans from around the world—is a further manifestation of his expansive artistic philosophy.
Source: https://www.rauschenbergfoundation.org/artist and the Chapman Escalette
Strawboss
Robert Rauschenberg, one of the most prominent American artists of the 20th century, was invited to Cape Canaveral by NASA in 1969 for the historic Apollo 11 mission launch. During his visit, Rauschenberg had the privilege of meeting the astronauts and other personnel working at NASA. He was granted access to a plethora of documents and photographs that captured the creation of the Apollo mission and the event itself. Using these images and his own drawings, Rauschenberg created a series of 34 lithographs that served as a tribute to this milestone in space exploration history. The San Francisco Museum of Art described his trip as a turning point in his career, one that provided him with a fresh outlook and an invigorated passion for creating art.
Strawboss (1970) is one of these 34 prints which captures the essence of space exploration through a unique perspective. The print is fairly large, sitting at 30 x 22 in which allows for many of the details to come through in good scale. Through close-up images and internal photographs of the module and NASA center, the viewer is taken into the creation and key features of the Apollo 11 module. In the top right-hand corner, the full module is on display, dramatically emerging from dense hashing marks. Beneath are the sides and mounting of the module which produce a polka-dot-like pattern in multiple registers. Below this are other wheels, cogs, and plans from the mission in a collage-like format. Various expressive lines and drawing is superimposed on top, giving the piece a sense of movement. The contrast and black and white nature of the print emphasize the drama of the event.
Strawboss, Space, and Social Phenomena
While Rauschenberg does not directly confront themes of society, or other societal phenomena in his artwork, the theme of space exploration and the launch of the Apollo missions in themselves speak to a variety of social issues that this exhibition tackles. Space exploration has long been critiqued for its lack of diversity, and promotion of Euro-centric standards. The height of each module, set at the average white-male height at the time, highlights the racial and gender inequality present in the industry. With the creation of SpaceX, and the billionaire space race, discussion surrounding space exploration and NASA has spilled over into the global arena. It has further highlighted the social and economic implications of this industry. As such, it is important to analyze the societal implications of space exploration and NASA, particularly with regards to themes of diversity and racial inequality.
At the Apollo 11 launch in 1969, a group of 500 mostly African American protesters showed up with mules and a wooden wagon in tow intending to highlight the social issues that plagued their communities. The protesters' drew attention to the glaring contrast between the futuristic NASA spacecraft and the harsh realities faced by those who could not afford basic necessities like housing and food.
“Was it a country to spend $20 billion to land two men on a dead rock in space or try to solve some of the problems closer to home on Earth?” Maher says. “A lot of grass roots movements argued to use the [NASA] money to solve problems here.” – Neil Maher, author of Apollo in the Age of Aquarius
Protestors' condemnation of NASA's space exploration mission stemmed from their belief that the mammoth expenditure on exploring the unknown depths of space was unwarranted, especially when the real issues on Earth remained unaddressed. Their signs reading, “$12 a day to feed an astronaut, we could feed a child for $8,” were a stark reminder of the social issues that demanded attention.
Rauschenberg’s Strawboss is the perspective of NASA – the gleaming Apollo module dramatically emerging with the futuristic and shiny technology of the space giant. It was an emblem of hope and voyage to the unknown. To this day, space exploration remains a goal, and has become a part of everyday discussion as celebrities pay to reach space. With Strawboss placed across from works that pertain to the current state of affairs on immigration, police brutality, and racial stereotypes, it adds a much-needed perspective to discourse on space exploration.
More works by Robert Rauschenberg in the Chapman Escalette