Robert Rauschenberg Sky Marshal (Spread), 1978

Robert Rauschenberg’s Spreads (1975–83), a series of large-scale multimedia works on panel, marked a triumphant return to imagery after the relative austerity of his preceding series. Sky Marshal (Spread) (1978) is unusual in its format, with a jutting panel at right angles to the wall, partially enclosing the upright floating oar. In keeping with this geometric rigour, the solvent transfer imagery is similarly spare and restrained, arranged in a gridded format with structuring areas of colour or pattern. The title references covert law enforcement officers who have been a fixture of the US aviation system since 1962, and the theme of travel is reflected in multiple drawings of the globe, as well as the oar, diagram of a ship interior and photograph of a car.