Charlene

Robert Rauschenberg’s Charlene is a prime example of his “combine” paintings. A combine is composed of various materials and employs several techniques. For example, in this piece Rauschenberg included an electric light, a mirror, a flattened umbrella, a t-shirt and reproductions of well-known artworks. He also incorporated newspapers, magazines and comic books in the center and left hand panels. This use of collage can be traced back to Picasso and Braque’s work from around 1912. The space in which Charlene hangs has a great impact on the piece. First, the large mirror reflects the area surrounding the painting and second, the wall behind the painting is visible through a cut out to the left of the umbrella. On his use of objects from the real world Rauschenberg said, “I don’t want a painting to look like something it isn’t, I want it to look like something it is.”