Arcanum VII, from The Arcanum Series

"Arcanum VII" exemplifies Robert Rauschenberg's signature combine aesthetic, merging screenprint with textile collage elements to create a layered, mixed media composition that reflects his exploration of chance and material experimentation. Created in 1981 as part of The Arcanum Series, this work demonstrates the artist's continued engagement with the tarot's symbolic vocabulary while employing the technical sophistication of the Styria Studio printmaking process. The integration of cotton fabric and thread alongside chromatic screenprinting creates a tactile surface that complicates the distinction between painting, printmaking, and textile arts, characteristic of Rauschenberg's pioneering post modern approach.