Untitled (Early Egyptian) 1973

Robert Rauschenberg cobbled together this sculpture, *Untitled (Early Egyptian)*, from bits of metal, wheels, and wood. I can imagine him scavenging the streets or junkyards, finding these discarded objects and thinking, “Aha! I can make something out of this!” I love the rough, raw energy of this piece. It’s like Rauschenberg is saying, “I don’t need fancy materials to make art. I can use whatever’s lying around.” The way he combines the mundane and the unexpected reminds me of Kurt Schwitters' Merz collages, where everyday scraps become part of a new, surprising whole. I wonder if Rauschenberg was thinking about Schwitters when he made this? You can see Rauschenberg’s hand in the way he’s pieced everything together. It is a testament to the transformative power of art. It’s as though he’s taken something broken and useless and turned it into something beautiful and meaningful. And that, for me, is the essence of what art is all about.