The Good Die Young: Robert Rauschenberg
On May 12th, 2008 Robert Rauschenberg died in his home in Captiva, Florida. I was informed of his death about an hour after it happened. I can’t say I was surprised… he was 82 years old, and he’d had several strokes over the past few years. I will say that there is a special sadness that occurs when someone so special leaves the earth, a shaking occurs, a rift, a void. I feel as if the world has lost a true treasure, a similar feeling to learning a animal has gone extinct. Luckily Bob has left behind many things for us to look at and try to understand. Sadly he will not be here to show us the joy he spread by his mere presence.
I am not one to cry, but last night after i got home and had forgotten about the business of the day I was struck by the reality of his death. I found my self hoping I am wrong and there is a place like heaven, cause I can imagine him there screenprinting the angels, turning them into things more stunning than all the images Michaelangelo conceived. I imagine him drinking Jack Daniels with some celestial power showing them how to really communicate with others through imagery. I can just see him wandering through the golden streets drunk on joy and life….. but then i think this is how he lived……
Very few people have impacted me the way Bob has, and I am sure he will continue to play the same role one way or another….. even at the age of 82, I have to ask why do the good die young.
