Blue Line Swinger
1991
A landmark triptych lithograph by Robert Rauschenberg, 'Blue Line Swinger' (1991) combines sequential photographic imagery of a child on playground swings with bold color overlays depicting a tufted sofa, a palm reader's sign, and a chain-link fence. A single continuous blue line threads horizontally across all three panels, unifying the composition with Rauschenberg's signature combine sensibility. Published by Gemini G.E.L. and printed by Kenneth Farley, James Reid, and Stanley Baden, this work exemplifies Rauschenberg's mature printmaking practice. An institutional-quality piece held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington.
- Medium
- color lithograph on three sheets of gray Dieu Donné handmade paper
- Dimensions
- Edition
- 6 of 68
- Signed
- Yes
Notes
Published by Gemini G.E.L. Printers: Kenneth Farley (American, active late 20th century), James Reid (American, born 1948), Stanley Baden (American, active late 20th century). The work features imagery including children on swings at a beach, a tufted sofa (pink/magenta overlay), a palm reader's sign reading 'LOVE MARRIAGE BUSINESS / PAST PRESENT FUTURE' (red/brown overlay), and a chain-link gate with padlock (green/purple overlay). A blue horizontal line connects all three panels. Source document appears to be from the National Gallery of Art's online collection record.
More by Robert Rauschenberg
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Collectors of Robert Rauschenberg
Artists in conversation
Jasper Johns
American · b. 1930
Johns shares Rauschenberg's Neo-Dada sensibility of layering everyday imagery with bold graphic marks across unified compositions, frequently working in lithography and printmaking with similarly textured handmade papers and combining recognizable symbols with abstract color fields.
Jim Dine
American · b. 1935
Dine's large scale triptych lithographs combine photographic imagery, gestural color overlays, and recurring symbolic motifs that thread across panels, closely mirroring Rauschenberg's technique of using a continuous unifying element to connect sequential imagery on handmade paper.
David Salle
American · b. 1952
Salle layers disparate photographic and cultural imagery including domestic objects, figurative elements, and urban signage across fragmented multi panel compositions, reflecting the same combine sensibility and juxtaposition of unrelated visual sources seen in Blue Line Swinger.
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