Video: Matt Dillon, the Actor and Artist, on His Favorite Artwork

Erased de Kooning Drawing was made in 1953 by Robert Rauschenberg. Rauschenberg developed an idea for drawings using erasers and concluded the process required a pre-existing artwork. He approached Willem de Kooning with a proposition to erase one of his works, with the condition that it be a great drawing de Kooning would miss. Jasper Johns named the resulting piece. The work embodies evolution from one artwork into another and functions as a collaborative creation. The transformation creates an ongoing conversation, which aligns with Dillon’s filmmaking approach and carries into drawing, painting, and collage.

"The artwork that I'm thinking of is Erased de Kooning Drawing by Robert Rauschenberg, which was made in 1953. You know, Rauschenberg had been working on the idea of doing drawings with erasers. And he came to the conclusion that it needed to be an already pre-existing artwork. And he went to the artist that he really so admired, Willem de Kooning, and gave him this proposition: I'd like to erase one of your works."

"The condition for him was that it has to be a really great drawing, something that he would, that he would miss. And then my understanding is that Jasper Johns then named it. So it's this idea of a work developing. The reason I gravitated toward this is I I sort of like that it's an artwork that was originally another artwork that if it evolved into something else."

"Because this work is a collaborative work. And I love the conversation that's happening. And so much of the work that I do in filmmaking is collaborative, you know? And it is a dialogue, and I carry that with me when I'm doing other things drawing and painting and collage. If it was fun when it was being created, it's going to be fun when you experience it."

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