This detail of the center of Untitled (1973) shows two painted bags—one red-orange and the other white—framing the crease that was made when the artist folded the composition in half vertically before running it through the press. Because some of the paint and adhesive was still wet when the work was folded, this process resulted in tearing and smearing that introduced Rorschach-like splotches to the composition, adding formal complexity to the layers of pencil, paint, adhesive, and paper.
Detail of Robert Rauschenberg’s Untitled (1973) showing central fold
Part of the Rauschenberg Research Project
Related to Untitled, 1973
Detail of Robert Rauschenberg’s Untitled (1973) showing central fold
Related to Untitled, 1973
Part of the Rauschenberg Research Project
Robert Rauschenberg, Untitled, 1973 (detail)