![]() ![]() Why not have them look at the dates of the paintings and make a time line that zig-zags through the show? So is the notion that you can see work from all those years of practice in this exhibition. Kids might have a good time thinking about someone who knew what they wanted to do, and did it, for a lifetime. It was the band of brothers that he met in New York City – Robert Rauschenberg, John Cage, and Merce Cunningham – who were his greatest teachers. Johns wanted to be a painter since he was in kindergarten, and was pretty much self-taught. Gradually, his work inspired others, and was a catalyst that ushered in the next era of Pop and Conceptual Art. He absorbed their work and chose a different path, making gradual steps forward in his own practice. His work was less emotional or spontaneous than those of the Abstract Expressionist painters. Jasper Johns is significant in art history because he represents the end of the Abstract Expressionist movement and the start of a new era of painting, one in which the painting itself is the thing. Credit Andrew White for The New York Times Third: Johns is 87 and probably our most important living American artist. Johns in his studio reserved for print-making with a wide selection of rulers. The paintings are deceptively simple, but you’ll quickly get familiar with the subject matter and will find yourself focused on the rhythm of the brushstrokes. Seeing so many of Johns’ paintings together for this retrospective allows viewers to study this idea of how the master puts paint on the canvas. (Or taking photos of the paintings, which inevitably happens like crazy at a blockbuster show like this – makes me long for the days before cellphones, when we went to the gift store after an exhibit and chose one or two images that we liked best to remember the experience). Spend some time standing close enough to appreciate the energy and precision of each brushstroke - of course, this is what is unique about seeing the work in person and something that you can’t do as well if you’re looking at a postcard of the work, or studying it in school. In fact, his willingness to paint the same thing over and over was a way to become a better painter. Johns cared about the process of painting and printmaking – he obsessed over it. So put away your camera and get as close as the guards will allow. Seeing different renditions of the same subject matter explored from canvas to canvas produces a sense of contemplation, ultimately. ![]() And then, the questions will begin: Why does he paint the same thing, over and over? Why the flag, why the targets, and why the letters and numbers? Important questions for adults and kids alike. The exhibition introduces new motifs that present a dramatic shift in his approach to image making.Kids will be engaged and curious because the items in the paintings are familiar. His recent work is full of references to his studio and home, to his childhood and to his own work and the work of other artists while his earlier work famously included commonly seen symbols such as the US flag, alphabet letters, numerals, and household or studio objects such as paintbrushes, brooms and tableware. During the early 1980s his approach shifted and viewers began to see a much more personal approach in his work – with its imagery becoming increasingly autobiographical. One of the forerunners the Pop Art movement, Johns has exercised a profound influence on western painting of the second half of the 20th-century consistently reinventing himself in response to new stimuli. Past Things and Present includes some 90 works by the iconic American artist Jasper Johns exploring the artist’s work over the past two decades through a selection of paintings, prints and drawings.
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