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JUNE 2005

A Memorable Visit to Lafayette,
Louisiana with Robert Rauschenberg, Christopher Rauschenberg and Darryl Pottorf

Robert Rauschenberg & Christopher Rauschenberg
Darryl Pottorf

By Pola Rosen, Ed.D.

To speak to and see the master artist Rauschenberg in his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana alongside his son, sister and friends amidst an opening of his world famous paintings, was an extraordinary experience. Add to that some spicy gumbo and tasty alligator meat, rhythmic, foot-tapping Zydeco music, primeval swamp tours with rare roseate spoonbills, and the southern hospitality of Kay Doré at her 80-acre plantation and you have a vision of Lafayette not readily available to the casual visitor.

The stark modernity of the new Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum underscored the huge, complex images of Bob Rauschenberg’s canvases. In fact, Rauschenberg said, “I feel like my canvases are in a cathedral.” Remembrances of drawing throughout his childhood and seeing Blue Boy at the Huntington Library, made him realize that a human being actually made it thus launching his career as an artist.

Christopher Rauschenberg, son of Robert, had a different experience about how he came to be an artist. “As a math and science major, with three parents are artists, I was the black sheep of my family,” he quipped. “I eventually ended up in painting.”

Pottorf never thought of himself as an artist. Later he became Rauschenberg’s assistant and ultimately developed his own style. A notable shared characteristic in all three artists is their penchant for collaboration. Bob’s view is that one idea invites another; Chris was raised to see art as a team sport; Darryl also generates ideas when working with others.

Party Line 2003 by Robert Rauschenberg

The three artists shared insights on how to deal with criticism. Bob stressed the importance of feeding one’s curiosity and nourishing it every day while Chris stressed the pragmatic need to find friends and galleries that have work similar to yours.

As far as pursuing a career in art, Chris said, “Go for what you can do now; use the web or technology, for example. He feels his “role as an artist is to be an antidote to society becoming all the same. An artist should bring uniqueness to a culture and to society.”

Pompeii by Christopher Rauschenberg

What is Rauschenberg’s greatest fear? “I might run out of the world!”

Particularly outstanding in the exhibit was Party Line 2003 with the red phone booth seemingly popping out at the viewer. Pottorf’s Face of September 2001 was a moving portrayal of 9-11 while in another part of the museum, Christopher’s photograph of Pompeii drew me back into the misty history of the ruin as well as a remembrance of my own visit in the past. Christopher stated his reward as an artist is in “people saying they love my work.” Pompeii is one of his personal favorites. “In general, I don’t have people in the photographs because I want the viewer to come up and be in the picture.”

Born in Port Arthur, Texas and coming home from the military to life in Lafayette, how did Rauschenberg make the quantum leap from local artist to acclaim that commands worldwide prices from $100,000 to $1 million? A key event was the Biennale that granted credibility but Chris underscores the fact that his father was interested in just doing his work, not with the goal of becoming an international artist.

Face of September 2001 by Darryl Pottorf

Reflecting back on his education, Rauschenberg recalls Black Mountain College, North Carolina, as a place of freedom where he found out who he was; a place to milk cows, wash dishes, study dance and learn Russian. “People did their best when they were there,” he said. When Chris stated that his father had found a community of people there, Bob laughed and pointed out that Chris was being carried around in a laundry basket at that point so how would he know. Darryl’s humorous comment on education was “Stay in school as long as you can. It cuts down on the overhead.”

Rauschenberg now has a home and studio in Captiva, Florida, a place that for him has a magic that includes yellow butterflies and turtles.

Chris has a photography gallery in Portland, Oregon where he “thinks with his hands” referring to his intuitive placement of objects. “An artist,” he says, “takes ordinary objects and sees them in unusual ways.”

In this memorable exhibit, Herman Mhire, director of the stunning University Art Museum, has presented the works of the triumvirate, father, son and friend, enabling us to transcend the ordinary and enter the visionary world of the artist.#

Exhibit runs through September 3rd.

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