Robert Rausch
examination
examination •Artist Statement
“These photographs are not self-portraits but a series of portrait-like images of myself in the guise of created characters, not narrative fragments. They are straightforward images using myself as an archetype, a vehicle for commentary on issues surrounding our roles. I have been called boy, man, son, brother, cousin, uncle, husband, father, photographer, designer, art director, professor, artist, and technician, but this list barely begins to describe me.
The work feels familiar because it draws from the sources that surround me. Images preserve memories of what may never have been, except for the photograph taken, whether it’s reality or an altered reality that captures a moment. Sometimes, that captured moment alters reality, and pictures shape memories.
Changes in cultural attitudes to sexuality, gender roles, and social structures have been reflected in the nude throughout history. I took my first nude self-portrait at the age of 19 while attending Parsons School of Design in Paris. The assignment was two nude self-portraits. One photograph should depict how I saw myself, and the other should describe how I wanted others to see me. That was one of my most challenging assignments at Parsons. I think I shot it three times before I got something acceptable. The timeless nature of the nude, along with its vulnerability and ability to expose power, still interests me. The male nude’s (homo-)erotic nature may be less evident today than decades ago, but it informs the work, as well.
Borrowing from Roland Barthes’s Camera Lucida: The act of photographing is an act of death. The instant you click the shutter, you capture what happens only in the present moment but instantly becomes part of the past. The moment has passed and remains in the photograph, which will continue to live in the future. Like the Sublime, the photographic image insists on a message outside a specific standard or meaning. A photograph is a paradox; it simultaneously has every chance of being mythical and natural.”
Tennessee Valley Museum of Art
511 N Water St, Tuscumbia, AL 35674
August 23 - September 30, 2022
Tuesday - Friday, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.- 5 p.m
About the Artist
A self-portrait in front of the family barn with his horse, in a tux with hay stuffed in his pockets - this was Robert Rausch’s application photo for Parsons School of Design in Paris, where he first attended art school. The passion the French have for photography was inspiring; this was the first time Rausch realized that images had power.
Rausch’s first experience as a working photographer was in Atlanta. He loved the lifestyle: traveling, working with models, meeting new people at every job, and producing something new for the client. This finally allowed Rausch to separate his artistic work from what he did for clients.
Moving from Atlanta back out to Hollywood, where Rausch had access to sets/costume makers/designers and locations, made it easier for him to balance the two worlds of photography and design. Rausch stumbled upon the Art Center in Pasadena, and that was the first time he was around like-minded people who felt like he did about his work. After earning his MFA from Art Center, Rausch stepped back from photography and into design, focusing solely on design. Rausch received his first CLIO Award, among numerous ADDY Awards.
After his first two children were born, Rausch’s family moved from Los Angeles back to Alabama, and he started shooting again. He continued art directing design projects and started teaching at the University of North Alabama. Rausch also started the Studio Journal, a local publication, in which each issue has a theme.
“The work feels familiar because it draws on sources that surround me. Images preserve memories of what may never have been, except for the photograph taken, whether it’s reality or an altered reality that captures a moment. Sometimes that captured moment alters reality and memories are shaped by photographs.”
