This detail of Catastrophe (Arcadian Retreat) shows the work’s embedded metal support exposed along the edge of a plaster panel. The metal support is fastened to aluminum panels that cover the back of the artwork and also attach to its wooden frame. Used in all of the works in the Arcadian Retreat series, these metal armatures are intended to support the works’ weight, stabilize the fresco plaster, and make the plaster panels easier to handle.
Detail of Robert Rauschenberg’s Catastrophe (Arcadian Retreat) showing frame and metal support
Part of the Rauschenberg Research Project
Related to Catastrophe (Arcadian Retreat), 1996
Detail of Robert Rauschenberg’s Catastrophe (Arcadian Retreat) showing frame and metal support
Related to Catastrophe (Arcadian Retreat), 1996
Part of the Rauschenberg Research Project

Robert Rauschenberg, Catastrophe (Arcadian Retreat), 1996 (detail)