Among the premier artists of the contemporary world, Jasper Johns is considered to be one the greatest printmakers America and modern art have seen to this day. His printmaking career stretched over four decades and can be seen in Jasper Johns: The Prints,"" a retrospective exhibit of his work at the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. This grandiose collection boasts over 100 prints that display the culmination of Johns' talent, innovation and experience in a chronological walk through his artistic career.
A palpable trademark of Johns' style is the repetition of motifs and symbols throughout his works. ""Two Flags"" and ""Flags II"" demonstrate his fascination with re-using subjects. Each print contains the American flag portrayed in a different style or color - a subject that Johns used in more then 50 drawings, 30 paintings and 14 prints.
Johns reworked and transformed his subjects and motifs throughout by changing the medium, technique, color or scale to alter the form and meaning. Printmaking is a technique that allows for easy alteration and reworking of a subject matter, a main selling point for Johns when first considering printmaking.
His transformations of the same objects allowed for a streamlined and in-sync theme to his entire body of work, but each print still entails a different feel and individual distinction. Johns' first real attempt at transforming a subject was his striking series ""0-9."" This series boasts a straightforward appearance with its simplistic motif of numbers and bold color choice.
Playing off earlier artists such as Marcel Duchamp, who was most commonly known for his introduction of ready-made objects in the art world, Johns glorified the everyday object as subject matter. His use of flags, targets, numbers and cans helped bridge the gap between the world of abstract expressionism and pop art, proving that simple objects could be also void of direct meaning and allow for individual interpretation.
Regardless of current artistic trends, Johns' work has always been fresh and distinct, taking only minor influences from other artists and always staying true to his own style.
Throughout the past decade of Johns' career, prints such as ""Periscope I"" and ""Lands End"" have included a more personal touch, which he generally withheld from his works, and more complicated print designs. Motifs and subjects, such as his hand prints or actual family photos began to appear, adding depth to his already deeply layered prints.
""Within"" is one of Johns' latest prints that summarizes his previous motifs and themes and show the culmination of experience and knowledge with an image that has gray layer of cross-hatching overtop of colors.
While Johns continually uses the same simple objects in his works, and transforms them to possibly alter the meaning, he refuses to explain the actual meaning behind the prints. His transformations and different approaches to an object or subject allow for individual interpretation and the personalization of the works on behalf of the viewer.
""Jasper Johns: The Prints"" is a collection of works that represent American contemporary art at its best, showing off the work of an artist who is considered to be among the likes of Picasso, Goya and Cézanne. The exhibit is magnificent not only for the works it contains, but because it is also one of the largest of its kind to happen in the Midwest, perhaps bringing some recognition to the heartland states.
