OUGD505 - Leeds Public Spaces - Robert Rauschenberg

As the final outcome must be composed through traditional print, I researched into experimental print methods from the art world to inspire new and innovative ways of printing.

Rauschenberg is renowned for his practice exploring the limits and very definition of art.

Robert Rauschenberg was an American painter and graphic artist who, in 1953, asked composer John Cage to drive his Model A Ford in a straight line over twenty sheets of paper that Rauschenberg had glued together and laid in the road. The resulting print is over 7m long and captures the grip marks from the car.

As the unpainted front tire of the car passed over the paper in advance of the painted rear tire, it left a ghostly double that runs parallel to and then is overtaken by the painted line of tread. Its presence alerts the viewer to the process used to make the piece and magnifies its durational character.

Though it has continued to be referred to as a monoprint, the work’s status as a print has fallen into the background over time, with scholarly interest instead focused on Rauschenberg’s use of the direct imprint. Rauschenberg’s use of an automobile driven by a friend to make 'a rich, juicy black line' holds to the abstract expressionist ideal of directly capturing spontaneous artistic expression while completely upending the power, status and wealth of authorship.

I have been really inspired by Rauschenberg's work because of his graphic artwork but also due to the fact he pushes materials and processes to question the role of the artist. 

Even without the context behind the artwork, it is clear that the print has originated from a car tyre due to the recognisable grip marks. Imbedding bicycle tyre prints into my final solution will make the subject of cycling immediately recognisable which will make the audience aware of the context of the poster.