This piece represents one of Robert Rauschenberg's most prolific and evolutionary periods, as Abstract Expressionism began to make way for new genres in the 1970s, incuding Pop Art. Rauschenberg began experimenting with photo transfer in the late 1950s, creating collages with print media clippings transferred onto drawing paper, but it wasn't until the early 1960s that Rauschenberg began working seriously with printmaking. In the 1970s he combined his interest in photography and lithography to create oversized lithographic works whose imagery borrowed from popular culture and news media, set against painterly backdrops.
A note on condition: this offset lithograph has lightstaining and burning at the old mat opening. However, the imagery is vivid and the colors are strong. Due to the delicate nature of offset inks, the preservation of these richer tones has deterred any cleaning attempts.