Franciscan II 1972

Robert Rauschenberg made this enigmatic construction, Franciscan II, with found materials and a muted palette. You might see artmaking as a conversation with the world, and Rauschenberg was always listening in. The piece merges painting and sculpture in a ghostly dance. The central drape, stained with the marks of time, falls like a shroud, anchored by a single point. To either side, appendages crafted from layered, textured materials reach out—gestures frozen in space. Look at the way the surfaces catch the light, revealing the history of their making. Rauschenberg's work anticipates a lot of later artists, like Gordon Matta-Clark. But unlike Matta-Clark, who makes dramatic interventions into architecture, Rauschenberg's gestures are gentle and almost melancholic. His work always embraces ambiguity, inviting us to bring our own stories and associations to the table. There's a quiet revolution in this approach—a refusal to be pinned down.