Robert Rauschenberg was not a giant of American art; he was the giant. No American created so many aesthetic openings for so many artists.
Interpretation
This quote highlights Robert Rauschenberg's monumental influence on American art and artists.
Jerry Saltz emphasizes Robert Rauschenberg's unparalleled impact on the art world, suggesting that his innovative approaches and aesthetic freedom opened the doors for numerous other artists to explore their creativity. Rauschenberg's work challenged conventions and norms, making him a pivotal figure in the evolution of art in America.
In practice
During an art lecture, one could quote this to demonstrate the transformative impact of artists on cultural landscapes.
'Untitled' is a time machine that can transport you to 1992, an edgy moment when the art world was crumbling, money was scarce, and artists like Tiravanija were in the nascent stages of combining Happenings, performance art, John Cage, Joseph Beuys, and the do-it-yourself ethos of punk. Meanwhile, a new art world was coming into being.
Artists working for other artists is all about knowing, learning, unlearning, initiating long-term artistic dialogues, making connections, creating covens, and getting temporary shelter from the storm.
I have a soft spot for art that, in terms of subject matter and material, is in bad taste.
The giant white cube is now impeding rather than enhancing the rhythms of art. It preprograms a viewer's journey, shifts the emphasis from process to product, and lacks individuality and openness. It's not that art should be seen only in rutty bombed-out environments, but it should seem alive.
In art, scandal is a false narrative, a smoke screen that camouflages rather than reveals. When we don't know what we're seeing, we overreact.
I don't often go to curator or artist walk-throughs of exhibitions. For a critic, it feels like cheating. I want to see shows with my own eyes, making my own mistakes, viewing exhibitions the way most of their audience sees them.
I've never let a rhinestone go unturned
Hip-hop was indifferent to Broadway. We didn't need Broadway, but I think Broadway needed hip-hop.
In the future, a new generation of artists will be writing genomes as fluently as Blake and Byron wrote verses.
I think wanting to write is a fundamental sign of disease and discomfort. I don't think people who are comfortable want to write.
I paint mostly from real life. It has to start with that. Real people, real street scenes, behind the curtain scenes, live models, paintings, photographs, staged setups, architecture, grids, graphic design. Whatever it takes to make it work.
It's difficult because nothing's preordained by plan and you can't control it. That's one of those joys and thrills and nerve-racking realities of being an actor. A lot has to do with luck, no matter what your talent or contribution can be.
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