Robert Rauschenberg and Surrealism: Art, 'Sensibility' and War in the 1960s

Dr Gavin Parkinson (Professor of European Modernism, Courtauld Institute of Art, UK)

Robert Rauschenberg and Surrealism: Art, 'Sensibility' and War in the 1960s
Format
Hardback
Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Country
United Kingdom
Published
9 March 2023
Pages
320
ISBN
9781501358296

Robert Rauschenberg and Surrealism: Art, ‘Sensibility’ and War in the 1960s

Dr Gavin Parkinson (Professor of European Modernism, Courtauld Institute of Art, UK)

The art of Robert Rauschenberg (1925-2008) is usually viewed as quite distinct from Surrealism, a movement which the artist himself displayed some hostility towards. However, Rauschenberg had a very positive reception among Surrealists, particularly across the period 1959-69.

In the face of Rauschenberg’s avowals of his own ‘literalism’ and insistence on his art as ‘facts,’ this book gathers generous evidence of the poetic, metaphorical, allusive, associative and connotative dimensions of the artist’s oeuvre as identified by Surrealists, and thus extrapolates new readings from Rauschenberg’s key works on that basis. By viewing Rauschenberg’s art against the expansion of the cultural influence of the United States in Europe in the period after the Second World War and the increasingly politicized activities of the Surrealists in the era of the Algerian War of Independence (1954-62), Robert Rauschenberg and Surrealism shows how poetic inference of the artist’s work was turned towards political interpretation. By analysing Rauschenberg’s art in the context of Surrealism, and drawing from it new interpretations and perspectives, this volume simultaneously situates the Surrealist movement in 1960s American art criticism and history.

This item is not currently in-stock. It can be ordered online and is expected to ship in approx 4 weeks

Our stock data is updated periodically, and availability may change throughout the day for in-demand items. Please call the relevant shop for the most current stock information. Prices are subject to change without notice.

Sign in or become a Readings Member to add this title to a wishlist.