Absence as Spectacle: How Rauschenberg, Cage, Klein, Wheeler, Rothko and Lucier Turned Silence into Art
The article from designboom delves into postwar art that prioritizes absence rather than an overload of visuals, shifting attention to the surrounding environment and the viewer's physical presence. It opens with Robert Rauschenberg's White Paintings (1951), which lack imagery and serve as 'clocks' for light and shadows. John Cage's 4'33" (1952), performed by David Tudor, uses silence to draw attention to ambient sounds. Yves Klein's Le Vide (1958) turns a gallery into an immersive experience by leaving it empty. Doug Wheeler's PSAD Synthetic Desert III (2017) sharpens the perception of subtle sounds. The Rothko Chapel (1971) encourages reflection through Rothko's works. Alvin Lucier's I Am Sitting in a Room (1969) modifies recorded speech via architectural resonance, critiquing the attention-seeking tendencies of modern visual culture.
Key facts
- Robert Rauschenberg's White Paintings were first made in 1951 across one, two, three, four and seven white panels, removing imagery, composition and visible gesture.
- Rauschenberg described the White Paintings as 'clocks' because they register environmental changes such as light and shadows.
- John Cage called the white surfaces 'airports for the lights, shadows, and particles.'
- Cage's 4'33" was first performed by David Tudor in 1952, with the performer silent so the audience hears ambient sound.
- Yves Klein's Le Vide was presented at Galerie Iris Clert in Paris in 1958, with the gallery emptied and painted white.
- Doug Wheeler's PSAD Synthetic Desert III was presented at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in 2017, using acoustic absorption to suppress familiar cues.
- The Rothko Chapel in Houston opened in 1971 and contains fourteen monumental paintings by Mark Rothko in subdued natural light.
- Alvin Lucier's I Am Sitting in a Room was first performed in 1969, using repeated recordings until the room's resonant frequencies dominate.
Entities
Artists
- Robert Rauschenberg
- John Cage
- David Tudor
- Yves Klein
- Doug Wheeler
- Mark Rothko
- Alvin Lucier
- James Fei
- Amanda Lucier
- Elizabeth Felicella
- Allan Grant
- Henry Kravis
- Marie-Josée Kravis
- Phyllis C. Wattis
Institutions
- designboom
- SolidNature
- Galerie Iris Clert
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
- Rothko Chapel
- The Museum of Modern Art
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
- Corcoran Gallery of Art
- Stable Gallery
- Robert Rauschenberg Foundation Archives
- Life Magazine Photograph Collection
- John Cage Trust
- Wikimedia Commons
- AADAGP
Locations
- Paris
- France
- New York
- United States
- Houston
- Texas
- Washington, D.C.
- San Francisco