ROBERT RAUSCHENBERG. "Goat Chow".
Color serigraphy with collage of cardboard and plastic wire, 1977, Signed in pencil and numbered 49/100.
Published by Untitled Press Inc., Captiva. Printed by Styria Studio, Inc., New York and with their blind stamp.
Sheet size: 121 x 92 cm.
Although the artist selectively cut out and partially flattened the feed bags to create his collages, he retained their rectangular shape and allowed this shape to dictate the overall configuration of each print. The bold, graphic renderings of the animals at the center of these works are surrounded by various arrangements of fainter transfer images such as flowers and leaves, cars stuck in traffic, Coca-Cola bottles and a woman"s shiny, manicured finger. The final compositions present the animals as in traditional portraits, playfully framed by colorful graphics and strong geometric shapes. Photographs of the finished collages were then used as a basis for screen printing. After the silkscreen process, additional collage elements were applied to each print, including small pieces of fabric and plastic stitches that mimic the drawstrings used to open the feed bags. The Chow Bags series was printed by Styria Studio in New York and published by Rauschenberg"s own Untitled Press Incorporation in an edition of 100 signed copies.