Namely, ‘ Untitled (2018)’ reads, “Farley breaks down after Larry Burrows.” ‘ Fool’s House-Black State (1972)’ labels the objects within it “broom,” “cup,” and “stretcher” are inscribed in a graceful, charcoal cursive. Similarly to his numerical experiments, Johns strays from “ordinary” artistic archetypes by incorporating words into his pieces. There are no mathematical signs, but their absence multiplies the piece’s effect. ‘ Numbers (2017) ,’ for one, forms an array of digits zero through nine in neat, aluminum rows. The artist aims to inspire the viewer with another way to see reality, taking everyday objects and placing them in anomalous settings. Johns removes them from their conventional classroom context and gives them lives of their own. “I found it intriguing that I can make my own conclusions about the repetitive works, not just the works themselves, but specific images within them,” remarked one museum-goer whom I interviewed.Īmong these images are numbers and maps. The recurring nature of Johns’ pieces leaves much to the imagination, begging the question of what, if anything, the repetition conveys. Beyond their size, the works are akin in that they are each slight variations of the same powerful image: ‘ Flag (1954-55)’. In order to preserve the details in such minute artworks, Johns created many of them using the children’s toy, Shrinky Dinks. Within it are miniature flags, each a few inches in length. One such collection, rather creatively entitled ‘Small,’ is far from a misnomer. This impression is repeated on a myriad of occasions within the Whitney’s ‘Mind/Mirror’ exhibit. Rather, Johns deliberately morphs “things the mind already knows” into what it does not, such as an inert flag. Unlike a traditional symbol of American principles, the flag does not billow in the wind. It is not quite an image of unwavering patriotism - there is a potent element of flatness to the piece. In a 1950s era of pop art and color blocks, Flag was the odd one out. Arranging oil paint onto a bedsheet was a tedious task that endured for months, but the fruits of Johns’s labor - entitled Flag - made history. The project came to him in a dream one night in 1954, where upon awakening, Johns was determined to translate the idea into reality. The resilient foundation of Johns’ bridge is constructed from the limp fabric of the American flag. Jasper Johns’s ‘Mind/Mirror’ exhibit at the Whitney simplifies such concepts, building a bridge between modern and contemporary art over these troubled waters. Their raging waves of bureaucratic and cultural motifs crash against the human mind. Today’s tempestuous waters of social and political malaise are turbulent.
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