Robert Rauschenberg and reminders

If you get bored or can't sleep, are lucky enough to live in the UK and have access  to a TV and the BBC iPlayer I recommend taking a look at the Arts section of the application.

A recent visit to this section revealed to me via a Alistair Sooke fronted Artsnight programme on Robert Rauschenberg - intriguing story and view on the artist who although not as infamous as Warhol or Duchamp was similarly influential.

Robert Hughes quite literally
wrote the book on Modern Art

What I liked about the artist that was investigated was along with  his non-artistic background, his restless search  for new experiences and his philanthropy was the evidence that he smiled a lot  and did not take his activities too seriously.

Many critics were irritated by the fact that he moved on and tried so many different approaches, in The Shock of the New (by the hugely influential Robert Hughes) Brian O'Doherty is quoted as a saying 'he did not seem house trained ' but he was a man who had a vision beyond art and sold many of his collections to help fund the Rauschenberg Overseas Cultural Interchange (ROCI).

Retroactive 1 (1964)

As well as using 'found objects' in his works particularly  during his time in New York Rauschenberg was a great artist of Silkscreen prints.


I will definitely check out the exhibition atLondon's Tate Modern 


[And thankfully you can catch the TV documentary series The Shock of the New on youtube]

Memories

Talking with a friend about the strange way (human) memory can deteriorate - reminded me how connections hover - this Pizza van for example.

Took me a little while to make the connection with travelling Pizza van during our time in Ecully (outside Lyon) France.

Brought back thoughts of great Pizza past.

Arts Stuff on the media and Red 249

Two nice arts programmes to watch at present - thanks John for pointing out to me the recent Artsnight which visited Tate's Modern and Britain in London and with a touch of First Dates looked at visitors getting something from the works .

Art observed

The other is Waldemar Januszczak's  take on the renaissance (Renaissance Unchained)  - have watched part one - he's a force of nature and the insights offered are good ones. 

And Separation

The BBC had an interesting couple of programmes on the subject of people and their pets -Dogs Vs Cats, one of the things I liked about it was the study of the anxiety felt my dogs in particular following separation, what it brought home to me  is that it's a subject that's painful for many of us throughout our lives  and certainly one that we may repress (as I can describe with my new engagement with Psychoanalysis) - perhaps we need more that looks at the

Red 249

I was given this near Bond Street  - think it's something to do with Men's Skincare..

Sometimes inspiration is proffered unrequested