Image and material in the Hoarfrost series
“Untitled (Hoarfrost)” (1974) by Robert Rauschenberg belongs to the renowned Hoarfrost series, in which the artist develops a reflection on the relationship between image, support, and perception. In this phase, the work is constructed through a layering of materials that redefines pictorial language.
Executed with solvent transfer and collage on fabric, the work presents light and suspended surfaces where images appear veiled and partially dissolved. The unstretched fabric introduces a dynamic dimension, transforming the pictorial plane into an almost sculptural element.
The images, drawn from editorial sources, are reworked until they lose their immediate narrative clarity, becoming visual fragments. The work reflects a tension between information and material, where content is transformed into physical and perceptual presence.
Robert Rauschenberg – Untitled (Hoarfrost), 1974
Provenance: Ace Gallery, Los Angeles; Galleria Gian Enzo Sperone, ca. 1975; Galleria Studio Morra, Naples; Ernesto Esposito Collection, Naples; Museo MADRE, Naples; 091 Art Project, Palermo
Exhibitions: “The Go-Between: A Selection of International Emerging Arts”, Museo di Capodimonte, Naples (December 14, 2014 – January 12, 2015), published in catalogue, p. 134
Archive: work registered with the Robert Rauschenberg Foundation (RRF 74.028)
