Random
From syntax to ego to erasing Rauschenberg
Whoa, wikipedia’s bracket illustration totally brought to mind de Kooning’s Woman series, in which the female figure is broken into a kind of provocatively aggressive male syntax. This post is not an invitation to the feminist angle, however called for, as the gestural implications are obvious; this just got me thinking about “Erased de Kooning Drawing,” (1953) by Robert Rauschenberg, who, then a young artist, asked the patriarch if he could erase one of the latter’s drawings, who, in the spirit that marks a great man, said yes. The result is beautiful on all counts, and proves that ego is never destroyed, only transferred from one artist to another. I see my surname in his, so in the spirit of self-abnegation, Mr. Rauschenberg, I ask if I may erase you?
"Unerased de Kooning Drawing" (2010)
I feel better already. I hope Bill and Bob do too.
Tags: erased de Kooning, Robert Rauschenberg
The Erasers. Read it.
The Erasers. Read it.
jimmy i think it’s worth mentioning at some point if only between you and me because i like talking about this the second series of woman or women or whatever paintings that dekooning did after the landscapes mainly like 65-65 maybe even til 66. which i am here noting fr the fact that this second series was so much less angry and antagonistic than the first. which whatever i don’t know that this furthers anything here, but i love those paintings and wanted to talk about them.
jimmy i think it’s worth mentioning at some point if only between you and me because i like talking about this the second series of woman or women or whatever paintings that dekooning did after the landscapes mainly like 65-65 maybe even til 66. which i am here noting fr the fact that this second series was so much less angry and antagonistic than the first. which whatever i don’t know that this furthers anything here, but i love those paintings and wanted to talk about them.
yes, i love the mid-career fleshy drippy ones (including the pastoral landscapes) way more than the aggressive earlier ones
yes, i love the mid-career fleshy drippy ones (including the pastoral landscapes) way more than the aggressive earlier ones
the landscapes are some of my favorite paintings he made.
jimmy i am glad we could talk about this.
the landscapes are some of my favorite paintings he made.
jimmy i am glad we could talk about this.
The best part of the story, if i remember correctly, was that after de Kooning agreed, Rauschenberg selected a rather modest, thin drawing–something de Kooning wouldn’t mind losing. De Kooning said, I know what you’re doing. Meaning: I know that you’ve come to kill me, son. He selected one for Rauschenberg and said–this is one I’ll miss. And he selected one that was thick with charcoal and lead. Meaning: if you’re going to erase me, you’ll have to work for it–this isn’t a game.
Back to words–is it more difficult to erase Milton (Ronald Johnson) or Dickinson (Janet Holmes) or an obscure 19th century text (Mary Ruefle) to create a new poem?
The best part of the story, if i remember correctly, was that after de Kooning agreed, Rauschenberg selected a rather modest, thin drawing–something de Kooning wouldn’t mind losing. De Kooning said, I know what you’re doing. Meaning: I know that you’ve come to kill me, son. He selected one for Rauschenberg and said–this is one I’ll miss. And he selected one that was thick with charcoal and lead. Meaning: if you’re going to erase me, you’ll have to work for it–this isn’t a game.
Back to words–is it more difficult to erase Milton (Ronald Johnson) or Dickinson (Janet Holmes) or an obscure 19th century text (Mary Ruefle) to create a new poem?
Brilliant. I’ve always loved the erased de Kooning and laughed my ass off with the unerased version…
Brilliant. I’ve always loved the erased de Kooning and laughed my ass off with the unerased version…