Retroactive I is a silkscreen painting that Rauschenberg made in 1963. He used silkscreen and oil on a canvas to come up with this painting. This silkscreen work is considered the best of Rauschenberg's works of this nature. It falls within a series of similar paintings done by Rauschenberg between 1962 and 1964. This piece of art is drawn from the popular press and is, therefore, a representation of Pop art. Rauschenberg was keen in representing American iconography and Pop culture (Shanes, 175). He was, throughout his career, identified with Pop culture. He developed a style that emphasized on the use of atypical materials and techniques.
This particular painting consists of a variety of objects, images and scenes drawn from television and magazines. Rauschenberg proceeds to utilize juxtaposition of the different objects and images. This is intended to give a reflection of the connection between corporate philosophies of the world in which we live in and powerful human emotions portrayed by this monumental piece of art.
The Retroactive I consists of a picture of the late President John F Kennedy speaking in a televised news conference, which is the main focus of the picture. This picture was made soon after President Kennedy's assassination. It represented a hopeful American people and symbolized an encouraging promise for the future of the American people. President Kennedy had been assassinated earlier that year, and this painting acted as a reminder of a man with great goals and achievements who had the capacity to lead America to greater heights. The presence of the astronaut in the picture is a symbol of the confidence and wealth of the American nation is the second half of the 20th century.
Principles of Design
Principles of design describe the ways through which artists use the elements of art in an artistic presentation or work (Lidwell, Holden and Butler, 186). These principles include;
Balance
This refers to the distribution of the colors, texture, visual weight of objects and space within an artistic work. Rauschenberg uses an asymmetrical balance whereby different elements are used on different sides of the piece of art. He uses different colors, objects and images on the different sides of the artistic piece. The sides, even though different are well balanced.
Emphasis
This is the part of the design, which is most capturing to a viewer. Rauschenberg makes the image of the iconic figure, President Kennedy to stand out amongst the other images incorporated in the painting. The centrality of his image catches the attention of the viewer. The black and white coloring contrasts with the other colors used in the painting making it easily recognizable and distinguishable from the rest. Besides the difference in color, the sizes of the images differ from each other, with President Kennedy's image occupying most of the space in the art.
Movement
This is the path that a viewer's eye follows through a piece of art. This movement can be directed along edges, color and shapes within the art. In this particular picture, Rauschenberg ensures that the firs image a viewer sees is that of President Kennedy. This is then followed by the astronaut's image etcetera.
Repetition
This is the repeating of elements of design throughout a work of art to create unity within the work of art. The image of President Kennedy has been repeated twice to ensure that a viewer focuses on it.
Elements of Art
These are the building blocks or the foundations that an artist's bases his/her work. They include;
Line
This is a mark, which has a greater length than the width. A line can be vertical, horizontal or diagonal, straight or curved, thick or thin. Rauschenberg uses both the vertical and horizontal lines in creating his painting. The image of President Kennedy and the astronaut have longer vertical lines than the other images in the painting. This is done with the intention to ensure that viewers focus on these two symbolic images.
Shape
This refers to a closed line. They can exist in square or circle forms, can be flat and express the length and width of a work of art. Rauschenberg uses rectangular shapes with longer lengths and smaller widths to present his painting.
Color
This refers to the light that is reflected off the objects. There are three characteristics of color. These include; the hue, the value and the intensity. The hue relates to the name of a particular color such as green, red, white etcetera. Rauschenberg employs a variety of colors, namely; red, green, white, black, yellow and brown to bring about the disparity of the images in the painting (Itten and Birren, 149). The hue refers to the darkness or lightness of the color. While a dark version of black is used, Rauschenberg uses a lighter version of the yellow, green, and blue colors. This lightness allows the image to be seen clearly.
Texture
This refers to the surface quality that is felt and seen. It can be smooth or rough. In most cases, the feel of textures differs from how they look when one views them. The Retroactive I painting employs a very smooth texture both when viewed and when touched. This smoothness provides a clearer view of the images and objects displayed in the painting.
Works Cited
Itten, Johannes and Faber Birren. The Elements Of Color. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Co, 1970. Print.
Lidwell, William, Kritina Holden, and Jill Butler. Universal Principles Of Design. Gloucester, Mass.: Rockport, 2003. Print.
Shanes, Eric. Pop Art. New York: Parkstone International, 2012. Print.
