The Port of Entry
The Port of Entry art is contemporary art that Robert Rauschenberg produced in the late 90s that depicts several aspects of the American style. The piece of art is made of multiple elements taken from photographs that the artist took during his many travels at various places, such as Europe and Northern Africa. The painting exhibits aspects in the country that directly denotes the American style culture and cities. The elements range from those that depict life in the rural areas to those showing mode of life in the urban area, as seen by the direct reference of certain cities like New York. Most qualities in America can be evidenced in the “Port of Entry.” The three qualities of American style that can be connected to the multiple elements exhibited in the entire piece of art are the embraced advancements in technology, the diversity in culture, and the capacity of curiosity and exploration of the world and other cultures.
Robert Rauschenberg created the contemporary piece of art in 1998, which explores and depicts the ideas of travel, arrival, and home. The artwork contains multiple elements that are attributed to the artist’s great trips to other countries and many cultures. The artist tries to bring out the aspect of American culture. Rauschenberg communicates in an open way, in that he explains that American people are a diverse culture who have explored various places and taken into account the best experiences. The art pronounces the importance of exploring the world and knowing other cultures, appreciating them, and being cautious with our environment. Various elements in the piece of art come from both rural and urban arears. It depicts that both cannot exist independently as life as a whole should be an experience that is mixed with all the aspects that have been portrayed in the “Port of Entry.”
American life is attributed to depict diversity majorly, and indeed life experiences should be coupled up with learning new things when the opportunity arises. The artist envisions a port that is diverse and rich in culture, where various activities are running concurrently. The method that the artist used in coming up with the art depicts how art can be displayed using any material and still communicate with viewers. Despite minimal elements in the piece of art, it directly represents American life. It envisions the possible aspects that one would meet if they are to contemplate experiencing an American lifestyle. The painting has been organized in such a way that the half picture of a person dressed in red and white stripes and the ice cream cones make a boundary that separates the urban from rural life. The right depicts more technology and city life, while the left side depicts rural life as denoted by the wild animals and the view of a woman from the back.
Several elements that depict my thinking about American life are evidence of technological advancements in the cities. At the center of the art is a fragment of a red fire truck that is engraved with the New York initials “NY.” The big fire engine machines are a beautiful view of the city in New York, especially when they roam around on the roads that are filled with road signs as depicted by the symbols of a walking man put at various points in the painting. The country embraces technology, which is portrayed by most elements in the art. Furthermore, a particular view that keeps on recurring in the piece of art is the repeated stripes of either black or red and white. It depicts the colors of the American flag, therefore, describing how unified and protective the country is to its resources.
Another significant element that speaks about the American lifestyle is the scene of still life found at the bottom edge of the painting that shows two prints of masted ships that are also framed. It details the great history of exploration to other worlds using the waterways and the massive big ships. The American style is depicted to be made up of curiosity, as illustrated by how the artist casts the different elements taken from different and far places. The art has been denoted to be open, and various viewers can form different views and give opinions on how they perceive and explain the contemporary piece of art.
The main three characteristics that are attributed to the American lifestyle is the diverse culture, embracing technological advancements, and exploration (adventures). The artist has evidenced all the three qualities in his piece of art in unique and significant ways. The diverse culture in America can be linked to the various modes of dressing depicted by the human figures depicted in the painting. There is a short portrait of a man at the top dressed in a suit while others are wearing striped dresses. The two framed prints at the bottom edge depict of a civilization that similarly values contemporary art. The embracing of technological advancements can be portrayed by the existence of pipes coming from the ground and the repeated road signs.
In conclusion, the American lifestyle has been evidenced to be made up of highly curious individuals who drive change in technological advancements through the exploration of the world. The artist had expressively evidenced that it is through exploration that the American style gets its unique characteristics. The silhouette of a man walking can be seen in the signs with red circles, and it appears the mean views the environment around them. The silhouette has been put in different areas depicting that the man might be taking observations around him as he continues to move to other newer places. The statue of the man holding a ladder can also be denoted to represent the silhouette. The view establishes itself diagonally across the painting, which speaks more of the characteristic of travel and exploration in the American lifestyle.