Rome Flea Market (V) 1952

Robert Rauschenberg took this photograph, Rome Flea Market (V), sometime during his travels. In this black and white photograph, Rauschenberg hones in on the details of a bygone era. The composition centres on the front of a vintage car, partially draped with a patterned cloth and fringed edges that hint at hidden stories and forgotten uses. The photograph feels like a gathering of textures and forms and offers a snapshot of everyday life, charged with a poetic resonance. I wonder what Rauschenberg was thinking when he made this image. His artistic practice was all about collage and assemblage, so perhaps he was drawn to how the flea market itself is like a three-dimensional collage of found objects and chance encounters. I think of other artists like Walker Evans, who also found beauty in the mundane. Ultimately, Rauschenberg’s photograph asks us to consider what is worthy of our attention and how even the simplest subjects can speak volumes about culture, memory, and the passage of time.