Rauschenberg in Charleston
by Emily Reyna
Charleston Street, 1952, By Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925 – 2008); Gelatin silver print, 15 x 15 inches; ©Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
“The only thing I had to be careful with was not to stereotype Charleston as Charleston. I wanted to see it ‘humanistically’ instead of ‘historically’.”
-Robert Rauschenberg
You can’t recreate a moment once it’s passed. We all know that. And yet, Robert Rauschenberg has preserved beautiful moments for us in this latest exhibition.
I discovered Rauschenberg’s photography on a recent trip to the Gibbes Museum of Art. Their newest exhibition, Rauschenberg in Charleston, features photography works from Rauschenberg taken between 1952 and 1981. They capture his various trips to Charleston along with later works inspired by these early photographs.
Charleston, South Carolina, 1981, By Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925 – 2008); Gelatin silver print; 13 x 19 inches; ©Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
Born in 1925, Rauschenberg first visited Charleston when he was studying at the experimental Black Mountain College in Asheville, NC, after World War II.
Lauded for his combines—which are works comprised of non-traditional mediums and materials—during the height of the Abstract Expressionist movement and beginning of the Pop Art movement, his lesser-known photography work is the focus of this exhibition.
I came back a second time to see this show, this time with Sara Arnold, Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Gibbes, to learn more about the significance of Rauschenberg’s work from his time in Charleston.
Charleston, South Carolina, 1981, By Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925 – 2008); Gelatin silver print, 13 x 19 inches; ©Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
“A lot of people don’t associate him with photography,” explains Arnold. “There are only about 200 images he exhibited and published that he considered fine art photography.”
The first image you see when you walk into the exhibition is a photograph from 1952 showing the streets of Charleston. It immediately sets a sense of time and place through the clothes the people are wearing and the movement captured through Rauschenberg’s composition.
Another photograph from his visit in 1961 features his friend Lois Long on a swing. “His vantage points were different,” explains Arnold. “When you look at his work you feel like you are the one taking the photo.”
Jasper & Lois – Edisto, S.C., 1961, By Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925 – 2008); Gelatin silver print; 15 x 15 inches; ©Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
Walk across the room and you’ll see work from 20 years later. During this time, Rauschenberg selected our city as one of six for his photography project called In + Out City Limits, highlighting American cities in 1981.
This is what Rauschenberg excelled at. He took everyday moments—the buildings, the people on the street—and he memorialized that moment as he clicked his shutter. “These are not tourist shots,” states Arnold. “He never cropped his images. He was interested in capturing what he was seeing at that exact moment.”
His photographs are unexpected and capture the Charleston you may not initially recognize. His photo from the Battery focuses on the cannons and concrete sidewalks while everyone else points their lens at the water views and historic homes. His photo from Upper King Street points upward at the sky to capture a single lit bicycle that we all know too well, which became a motif he was inspired to use in his later work.
Charleston, South Carolina, 1981, By Robert Rauschenberg (American, 1925 – 2008); Gelatin silver print, 12 ¾ x 19 inches; ©Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
“Looking back, a lot of the detail and historical architecture still exists,” notes Arnold. “Rauschenberg was trying to look at Charleston humanistically. He wanted us to see the details we pass by everyday but don’t pay attention to.”
And now, in 2019, is the perfect time for Charleston to revisit Rauschenberg and the impact his work has made. I came out reminded of the humanistic quality of Charleston and feeling as though Rauschenberg recreated those moments for me with every photo I viewed.
Rauschenberg in Charleston is on view through January 5, 2020, at the Gibbes Museum of Art. Tickets and information can be found at gibbesmuseum.org.
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