rauschenberg

i'm pretty sure robert rauschenberg was my first ever "favorite artist." it was when i was 14 or 15, and my best friend tod showed me a book of some of his stuff, and he probably said something revelatory like "man, these are so cool," and so i of course thought so, too.

anyway, today boco finally got out from under their homework and so we took advantage of the dr. king three-day and went to see the rauschenberg "combines" show (read: collages) at the metropolitan. and, man, his stuff is so cool.

the exhibit is nice and big and the pieces vary widely in complexity and tone and size and, i guess, dimensionality. there's the goat sculpture, the one with the tire around its stomach... and the big gold one, with the ceramic puppy in the wagon... and his "summer rental" series, which i love because of the colors and his use of type... and his "man" and "woman" pieces, nicely positioned here so they can "see" each other from across the gallery floor.... and the one with the chair, and the one with the ladder, and the "tower" with the umbrella on top....

i thought it was a great show, living up to my high expectations. and bo and co enjoyed it too... co said they reminded her of "i spy", and they both liked the humor and visual puns and trickery. and the whole experience made me so grateful for the millionth time that i live in this incredible city... where, between grabbing some groceries and returning clothes at the gap, me and my daughters can just pop in and see some of this century's most amazing, most influential art.