Behind Jasper Johns

Description

“Behind Jasper Johns” – 2021
Edition of 12 of each size. Each is signed and numbered on the front, sometimes also on the verso. Printed by Jan Oberg on Hahnemühle or Canson fine-art inkjet papers. Normally, available in four sizes. The buyer receives a signed Certificate of Authenticity with the print.

In 2010, I took down some works from the walls in our living room in order to paint the walls and ceiling. One of them was one of Jasper Johns’ grey prints made after oil paintings from the early 1970s. Somehow the frame and the metal wire had left their imprint on the wall. About Jasper Johns (1930- ) here.

I took a picture of that imprint before I painted the wall and that photo has been in my archive ever since. Since I have always greatly admired Jasper Johns’ works – and looked at them for about 40 years – I should have made something out of this long ago. Now was the time. But how?

I got the idea of trying to get as close as possible to what I imagine Johns’ would have done at the time. Thus, the vibrating hand-drawn edge along the grey field, the yellowish frame, the “Stencil” font that he has used and the insertion of one of his other works that he has done now and then presumably to challenge the symmetry of the image.

By the way, here is another recent Johns-inspired work of mine and an older one touching upon his inspiration from Munch.