"Rauschenberg, throughout his career, regarded stillness as a form of energy; for someone as kinetic as he was, stillness was a non-native force, attractive though not always easy to achieve."
"What I suspect he would have liked in Newhall's photographs—'Cape Cod' (1941), for instance, a shot of a sand dune with spiky growths piercing its surface, or 'Souvenir of Chatham' (1941), an image of a depot and a truck near train tracks a few hours from New York City—is their stillness."
Rauschenberg's education and artistic influences are explored through his potential awareness of Newhall's work. His interest in Newhall's photographs, such as 'Cape Cod' and 'Souvenir of Chatham,' reflects his appreciation for stillness. Rauschenberg viewed stillness as a form of energy, contrasting with his own kinetic style. This tension between movement and stillness shaped his artistic vision, suggesting that he found inspiration in the calmness of Newhall's imagery, which he may have internalized for future creative endeavors.
Read at The New Yorker
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