Homage to JFK: Rauschenberg's Retroactive I

[@stuartwray6175]

Steven has never sounded this astonished.

[@smarthistory-art-history]

ha!

[@Impossible033]

Wonderful channel. I have a print of this work in my house. It was great hearing you guys dissect it, I learned quite a few new elements that I had previously been unaware of. Excellent content 😊

[@nolankuo937]

Do you think Kennedy would have approved this picture?

[@rr7firefly]

As much as I admire Rauschenberg and love much of his work (large wall assemblages in particular) I find little about this serigraph that is worth analyzing. If it was not JFK's image screened shortly after his assassination would it be noteworthy?

[@smarthistory-art-history]

For me, Rauschenberg, and this particular canvas, brilliantly anticipate important changes to my discipline (art history), from a focus on authenticity, rarity, biography, and craftsmanship to the ideas about how a work of art can register the issues of a particular place at a particular historical moment. Such ideas as "the death of the author," reshaped art history but are found here, a decade earlier. Finally, not everyone needs to like every work of art. I certainly don't. (SZ)

[@rr7firefly]

@@smarthistory-art-history It is not a matter of liking or not liking it. I just do not see it as anything special from the broad array of RR's work. Technically it is nowhere as sophisticated as many other Rauschenberg pieces. Compositionally, it is adequate but nothing memorable. He made many other things that are breathtakingly wonderful. Here, if you take away the JFK image what do you have that you would remember this?

[@rr7firefly]

@@smarthistory-art-history I realized after completing my previous comment that your background is probably that of art historian, whereas I am an artist and architect. Any artist looking at someone else's art is going to see it on a more immediate level, not about its significance in the cultural landscape. Artists look at brush strokes, how things are positioned (composition and proportion). Architects look at the projects of other architects from the standpoint of form, use of materials, how light is handled, etc. Carrying that further, athletes see the sporting event far differently than a sports commentator. Robert Hughes and Sister Wendy are not artists. Art magazines are a bore to most artists who think the commentaries are hilarious drivel.

[@claudiadelafuenteropero8282]

Would you mind sharing the source of the images

[@smarthistory-art-history]

We took the photos, or more specifically, Drszucker took them. We list all photos sources at the end of each video.

[@Sasha0927]

I need to not laugh at the unfortunate, pumped full of holes depiction of Oswald and the random old lady on the right of this work... I feel like I should know who she is, but I don't. I went through a phase of obsessively learning about Kennedy's assassination. I read books and articles, watched movies, and dug as far as I could for about the space of a month. It's not quite as strong today, but I still feel strangely whenever I see this man. This is a cool piece, though. I'm curious about how Rauchenberg's work got more political after Kennedy was killed. It was also interesting to hear about his rejection of abstraction and other's rejection of his mechanized artistry... It reminds me of how I feel about AI art and the debate that I'm sure is being had over its legitimacy.

[@smarthistory-art-history]

The random lady is Alex Katz's Margie. The Oswald is by Cody Noland, its titled, Bluewald, and in the back is a Sean Scully.

[@Sasha0927]

"Bluewald" cracked my black - that's awesome. "Margie" looks like the sweet granny I never had but loved in spirit. ❤@@smarthistory-art-history