Robert Rauschenberg Biography

One of the pioneers in the development of pop art in the 1960s, the renowned artist Robert Rauschenberg was known for his artistic innovations and use of unconventional methods in the creation of the works of arts. He was a painter, graphic artist and a sculptor best known for his “combines” which were combinations of both paintings and sculptures. He is credited with coining this term to describe his own creations that were composed of paintings attached to normal everyday items like photographs, clothing, and other three dimensional objects. He tried to bring together art and everyday life through his combines. The talented artist was also skilled in photography, printmaking and papermaking. He credited his painting instructor at the Black Mountain College, Josef Albers for having influenced his paintings, albeit indirectly. Albers was very strict and expected his students to follow the conventional rules of art; Robert decided to do just the opposite—he revolutionized the way works of art were created in the America of the 1960s. Along with painter Jasper Johns, he is credited to have contributed immensely to pop art in America through his Neo-Dadaist approach. This quirky artist was known to create combines from trash and other waste products he would collect from the roadside!