JASPER JOHNS SERIES

“Jasper Johns Still Doesn’t Want to Explain His Art”. “Smithsonian explores impact of gays on art history”. The National Gallery in D.C, included this in their 2010 exhibit exploring sexual orientation and gender.Ĭheck out these other essays on American Painters. He slathered it in messy black brushstrokes then hung a fork and spoon far away from each other on the canvas. In Memory of My Feelings was a dark renovation for one of his famous Flag paintings. When this relationship ended Johns created a wonderful breakup painting (above). They were friends who became lovers and deeply influenced each other’s work. But he also already lived in an apartment adjoining Robert Rauschenberg‘s place at the time.

JASPER JOHNS SERIES

This began with his Flag series in the mid-1950s.

He then started over to forge a fresh path. Johns destroyed all his paintings to obliterate any signs of influence from other artists. It’s messy and mysterious even if instantly recognizable at the same time. Also, the bleeding and rough edges add intrigue to the frame. They seem like a pattern separate from the American Flag concept in this format.

I like the way Flag I presents the stars and stripes flipped sideways. Still, this screenprint grants us context to better see why White Flag soars – an art world champion. This one includes two American Flags screen printed on paper. Johns disrupted the representation of others in the series by using different techniques. Some of his Flag paintings have colors – the right hues even. But I bet Jasper Johns would get a kick out of it if he heard that you did. Or does it? Would you stand in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and pledge allegiance to this painting? Probably not. It needs fabric and embroidery, or at the very least, color, to be the flag. Johns removes the color and fabric elements. That’s because there’s no American Flag here. Somehow Jasper Johns gives us a representation of the American Flag without the meaning. White Flag represents the reality of the American Flag. But in this masterpiece we discover an exception. After all, most Abstract art doesn’t resemble reality enough to be representative. Often artwork is described as Representational in opposition to Abstract, though. Pop Art, in particular, is well known for this. So, these types of artworks are called representational. That’s because it shows a strong physical reference to a real source – a representation. White Flag by Jasper Johns sets a keen example for Representational Art. So, we get a surprise rather than a familiar symbol. It’s as if Jasper Johns wrapped the flag up like a gift. This makes it easy to forget this represents an American Flag. Newsprint shows through the encaustic and gives it an ethereal feeling. The work focuses on materials more than meaning. All that’s left is pure imagery – shapes and textures.

He removed the fabric, embroidery, and color. In this instance, with White Flag, Johns reduced the symbol down to a raw state. The United States flag was one of his favorites. He loved to mix media and explore popular symbols. But this is only one of many in Jasper’s series of Flag paintings. Or it may seem related to a classic white flag – meaning defeat. Still, taken by itself, one might interpret this piece as a reference to whiteness. It creates a more transparent quality than white paint. Painters make encaustic by mixing pigment with hot wax. There are layers of newsprint under thick white encaustic brushstrokes. Though Johns stripped the American flag of color, he added texture. Simple and spare as it seems – White Flag gives us a lot. At more than six feet by ten, viewers can’t help but take in its size or materials. Thanks to the white wall behind this piece, viewers can’t help but notice it’s not a true white flag. The Metropolitan Museum of Art showcases it well. Checking out this painting in person feels significant because of its enormity.

It’s a rare case of what you see is what you get. But not the Jasper Johns masterpiece White Flag. Learn the following about the White Flag painting by Jasper Johns:Ĭlick for the podcast version of this piece.

Jasper johns