Immediately after the turmoil of the 1960s had come to a close, Rauschenberg created this collage summarizing the upheaval of the decade. While the lower left corner anchored the piece with the exhilaration and optimism of the 1969 moon landing embodied in the image of astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Rauschenberg surrounded this figure with a constellation of figures that symbolized the turmoil of the preceding decade as well. The surrounding images of John F. Kennedy, who was assassinated in 1963, as well as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert, or Bobby, Kennedy, who were both assassinated in 1968, highlighted the destruction of the political optimism during the 1960s. The image of Janis Joplin - a fellow native of Port Arthur, Texas - at the top right emphasized the loss of young talent in the music industry as rock stars partied themselves to death, Joplin having died of an overdose in October of 1970 right before Rauschenberg created the print. Other images surrounding the astronaut portray urban violence, the Vietnam War, and a peace vigil - all descriptions of the tumult of the 1960s. The collage structure and all-over composition further visually enhance and reflect the chaos of this period.

theartstory.org