The 1960s were dominated by the excited anticipation of space travel and the goal of conquering space. The culmination was the US moon landing in 1969. Robert Rauschenberg made several works that report the facts and look at the feats of the United States. Untitled (First Apollo Landing) (1965) depicts the first US unmanned moon landing in 1965 – a technological achievement and, in the nation’s own rhetoric, a step forward for civilisation. In addition to the blurry space capsule, Rauschenberg’s work features the national treasure and national symbol – the eagle – toppled and on its side. In other words, the work is far from having any heroizing agenda.
Sky Garden (1969) was the result of an invitation from the US space agency, NASA. Wishing to make their enterprises accessible to the public, they invited a number of artists to explore the subject. So, Robert Rauschenberg travelled to Florida to witness the launch of the Apollo 11 mission and was subsequently provided with the related diagrams, maps and photographs, which he used to create Stoned Moon, a series of 34 lithographs, the most monumental of which is Sky Garden. The work alludes to the feelings of amazement and anxiety that many people associated with the relationship between humankind and technology during this historical period. Both works are examples of Rauschenberg’s insistence that it was reality and time that gave rise to the work: “It is today that creates the works”, as Rauschenberg had already put it at the start of his career.