Robert Rauschenberg: I recognize the individuality of all objects, which is what I think that my art is about. It becomes a friend. I don’t mean to sound silly about it. I don’t mean that it takes on human qualities, but if you can recognize something, then it has distinction. It has uniqueness. Anything that has uniqueness deserves respect.
Barbara Rose: You said that you become affectionate toward materials.
RR: Right, the next thing is affection. Even though it's just an old piece of can, that doesn’t stop me from falling in love with it.
—An Interview with Robert Rauschenberg by Barbara Rose, 1987
