About Robert Rauschenberg

In 1953 Robert Rauschenberg  created the piece Erased de Kooning by taking a work by William de Kooning and erasing it.

“In this “drawing,” he set out to discover if erasure, or the removal of a mark, constituted a work of art. He realized in order for the piece to succeed, he required an already notable work of art. Willem de Kooning was an established, leading figure in the New York art world when the young Rauschenberg asked him for a drawing that he could erase. De Kooning eventually acquiesced to Rauschenberg’s request, albeit reluctantly. He intentionally made Rauschenberg’s act of erasure difficult by deliberately choosing a heavily marked drawing filled with charcoal and pencil. Rauschenberg needed two months, and dozens of erasers, to complete the herculean task of erasing the drawing; even after he finished, traces of De Kooning’s work were still present. Through the erasure of De Kooning’s drawing, Rauschenberg acknowledged his admiration for his predecessor, but also signaled a movement away from Abstract Expressionism. He framed the erased drawing within a simple, gilded frame, with a mat bearing an inscription typed by Jasper Johns that identified the significance of the seemingly empty paper. The absent drawing is presented as an art object, designating the act of erasure as belonging to the realm of fine art – a typically Neo-Dada act of questioning the definition and import of the art object.

Traces of drawing media on paper with label and gilded frame” [1]

Here is another article about Rauchenberg’s Erased de Kooning

The Pieces

Willem de Kooning: Two Women 1953

(not actual piece that was erased, but an example of)

 [2]

Robert Rauschenberg: Erased de Kooning

 [2]

 

Willem de Kooning’s Support Personnel:

Paper maker

Crayola (or other Crayon Company)

Oil Paint maker

Charcoal maker

 

Robert Rauschenberg’s Support Personnel:

Paper maker

Crayola (or other Crayon Company)

Oil Paint maker

Charcoal maker

Willen de Kooning

Eraser maker

 

Works Cited

[1] http://www.theartstory.org/artist-rauschenberg-robert-artworks.htm#pnt_2

[2] http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzwi2jC8eS1qbo39mo1_1280.jpg

[3] https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/sfmomamedia/media/research-projects/downloads/EdeK_98.298.jpg