Jasper Johns, American Legend • Hacker News Board

Re: Jasper Johns, American Legend

#11

Post by jmkd » Tue, Feb 19, 2019, 10:55 AM UTC

prickledpear wrote: post #2

Can anyone help me appreciate non representational art like that of Mr. Johns? One specific question I have is: do his individual works stand alone or do you have to understand his life and/or complete body of work and the context in which it was created to appreciate it? If you saw one or two of his paintings without ever having heard of Jasper Johns would you recognize them as masterpieces?

I first and best understood Jasper Johns in particular 'Flag' (1954 onwards) through viewing a documentary as a teenager.

The narrator described 'Flag' as many things: a flag, a painting, a sculptural object, a commentary and a concept.

These were and remain all true and equally valid.

The historical context of mid-50s America is helpful but not essential. Of more relevance is the disruptive innovation of creating a work both of and outside the system, that ends up influencing the system in return.

It's like a self-aware mutation with genetic and memetic qualities.

Re: Jasper Johns, American Legend

#12

Post by afpx » Tue, Feb 19, 2019, 11:31 AM UTC

prickledpear wrote: post #2

Can anyone help me appreciate non representational art like that of Mr. Johns? One specific question I have is: do his individual works stand alone or do you have to understand his life and/or complete body of work and the context in which it was created to appreciate it? If you saw one or two of his paintings without ever having heard of Jasper Johns would you recognize them as masterpieces?

It helped me a lot by just practicing painting. I enjoyed viewing art before then. But, it wasn’t until I attempted to express my vague ideas onto a canvas that I truly appreciated the masters’ mastery.

Maybe food is a good analogy? (another art form that goes back to Homo Sapien origins).

I appreciate a cake that my daughter makes from a box. But, I really, really appreciate a cake made by a master baker - a unique creation where every aspect (taste, texture, design, display, temperature, flavor, etc.) is considered and balanced into a cohesive whole.

Re: Jasper Johns, American Legend

#13

Post by 3chelon » Tue, Feb 19, 2019, 12:14 PM UTC

CamperBob2 wrote: post #10

prickledpear wrote: post #2

Can anyone help me appreciate non representational art like that of Mr. Johns? One specific question I have is: do his individual works stand alone or do you have to understand his life and/or complete body of work and the context in which it was created to appreciate it? If you saw one or two of his paintings without ever having heard of Jasper Johns would you recognize them as masterpieces?

One impression that I got from the article, which I thought was helpful, is that Johns's work serves as a transition or bridge between the Abstract Expressionists like de Kooning and Rothko and the more modern figures like Andy Warhol. The Wikipedia article on abstract expressionism actually comes right out and says as much. So I'd start there, if you want some contextual background.

Yes, he's often described as an early Pop artist, but unlike the more famous Warhol & co., who used and embraced industrial processes, there's a definite "craftsy", home-made quality to Johns' work.

He used encaustic, which is a mixture of hot wax and oil paint, which lends the paintings a really unique texture. There's also often newsprint embedded in the paint, which adds another layer of texture.

Reproducing the American flag in this medium, and at scale, offers all sorts of questions. The red drips are maybe too symbolic, but the embedded newsprint gives a sense of history, and the whole handmade effect just adds to the ambiguity.

I once read some of his sketchbook notes, in which he'd written something along the lines of "try to hide what's going on from the viewer." So, he was being deliberately vague. And somehow it works, at least in his early works.