There was a whole language that I could never make function for myself; it revolved around words like 'tortured', 'struggle'. 'pain'.. .I could never see these qualities in paint - I could see them in life and art that illustrates life. But I could not see such conflicts in the materials and I knew that it had to be in the attitude of the painter.
"Robert Rauschenberg, Works, Writings and Interviews" by Sam Hunter, Ediciones Poligrafa, Barcelona, Spain, (p. 37), 2006.