Nathaniel Donnett on Rauschenberg at the Menil

Sunday, June 6th, Nathaniel Donnett contributed to the Menil's "Artist Eye" lecture series, with a discussion of Robert Rauschenberg's work "Third Time Painting." 

Donnett began with a few details from Rauschenberg's life that were similar to his own. Rauschenberg grew up poor in Texas. His mother was a seamstress. Donnett pointed out that he is also from Texas and didn't start out with a silver spoon in his mouth. Rauschenberg liked music and mixed it up with musicians and performers such as John Cage. Earlier in Nathaniel's career, he rapped and participated in the Hip Hop movement. Rauschenberg sought the masters of his time both artistically and physically--he travelled to Paris--only to realize that their aesthetic medium wasn't his own. Donnett embarked on a similar journey, more artistic than touristic, but just as influential to his own development as an artist.

Rauschenberg turned to Africa for inspiration. Donnett has too.   

Donnett's discussion then attempted to open the "Third Time Painting." Explaining how he experienced it, he sought to help the audience both articulate and reaffirm their experience of Rauschenberg. Nathaniel demonstrated how the positioning of the clock causes him to reposition his head. How the shirt splayed out and slathered in paint alludes to itself and so much more...a shirt with paint on it? a cross? wash drying on a river rock? a Byzantine fresco? He explained how Rauschenberg's combines lured him into the works with everyday material that was both recognizable but also repurposed.

Donnett, then turned the topic of conversation from Rauschenberg's work to friendship and collaboration with John Cage (experimental composer) and Merce Cunningham (the dancer and choreographer). Donnett noted the parallel between Rauschenberg's interest in music, performance, and interaction with the audience to his own interest in these same types of artistic interactions and their roots in Hip-Hop culture.

Then Donnett began to play. To introduce the idea of audience participation, he discussed the African-American tradition of call and response and it's long history from sermons and gospels to hip-hop performances. He even got the audience to rap a little with him. He followed the rap with some art history regarding Rauschenberg and De Koonig's rivalry, which was largely manufactured by the art world. Rauschenberg, with De Koonig's "help", exploited the competitive sentiment in the art world by taking it to it's logical or at least emotional conclusion: one artist "destroying" another artist's work with his piece "Erasing De Koonig." This art work consisted of an original De Koonig sketch, erased by Rauschenberg. (In De Koonig's attempt to "help," he provided a sketch so 'perfect' that he thought Rauschenberg would be unable to erase it. -- CAUTION: Artist Ego at Large)

 At this point in the lecture, Nathaniel uncovered an easel in the corner to reveal an original Donnett sketch that included sketches of Rauschenberg's work. He then armed the audience with erasers and invited them to revenge De Koonig and erase an original Donnett that included copies of Rauschenberg's work.

Here's Nate riffing on Rauschenberg's "Erasing De Koonig" with "Cohen Erasing Donnett." Nate invited the entire audience to participate in the deconstructing of a Donnett.