RAUSCHENBERG AT GLADSTONE GALLERY
Gladstone Gallery (the one all the way uptown) has opened a magnificent exhibit featuring masterpieces by the legendary Robert Rauschenberg. His “Arcanum” series (1979) explores the relationship between ancient, everyday symbols and modern techniques, transforming art into a transcendent journey through time and space.
The title, derived from the Latin word arcanus (meaning ‘secret’), reflects Rauschenberg's fascination with the mysterious, both in the spiritual and physical realms.
Rauschenberg’s work is a seamless fusion of discipline and daring creativity. Curiosity, hunger, and perseverance—these qualities bridge the gap in his art between everyday life and the extraordinary. Using ordinary objects, he transforms them into moments of wonder, casting a spotlight on the beauty of the mundane. Inspired by frosty fabrics from his trip to India in the late 1970s, Rauschenberg employed a solvent transfer technique to imprint images of religious iconography, natural phenomena, pop culture, and architecture onto his drawings. By pressing treated prints onto paper, he layered these fragmented visuals into his works.
Wandering unpretentiously while making a strong connection between art and reality, Rauschenberg pushed the boundaries between the physical and the spiritual. There was no medium he had not worked with. Paving his own way to new creations and interpretations, Rauschenberg deliberately avoided being tied to any particular movement or style, fostering a uniquely independent artistic vision. In the “Arcanum” drawings, the artist’s compositions explore the layered nature of thought, communication, and technology. Blending Rauschenberg’s instinctual ability to recognize the human experience and the significance of everyday life with his technical immediacy, these drawings represent the synergy of ideas and innovation.
Artist Robert Rauschenberg in India 1975 - photography by Sidney B. Felsen
The exhibit is peresented in collaboration with Rauschenberg Foundation and Gladstone Gallery. Witness the iconic artist's revolutionary approach and mesmerizing exploration of the human experience. Check it out and dive into the sublime.
Discover the hidden layers in Rauschenberg’s visionary works Gladstone Gallery.
Arcanums
September 21 – November 2, 2024
Gladstone Gallery
130 East 64th Street,
New York, NY 10065
