Garrett Haun

Period 1
February 22, 2016

Research Blog: Jasper Johns

Jasper Johns Jr. was born on May 15, 1930 in Augusta, Georgia and Raised in Adelade,
South Carolina. Growing up Johns was raised by his grandparents after his parents divorced. By
the age of 5 Johns knew he wanted to be an artist. For 3 Semesters, Johns studied at the
University of South Carolina, then he moved to New York in 1948 and there he met painter
Robert Rauschenberg who had a major influence on the style of Johns art and his interest in art.
Jasper Johns uses painting or sculpting on all of his pieces. After college, Johns was eligible for
he US Army Draft and he spent 18 months at Fort Jackson and the last 6 months in Sendai,
Japan. Johns artwork has impacted art history by setting standards for American Art due to his
attention to abstraction and popular imagery, it has shown/proven that there are no barriers in art.
Johns also led the way for the Pop movement and led the world away from Abstract
Expressionism. As of February 29, 2016 Johns is 85 years old and currently resides in Sharon,
Connecticut.
Jasper Johns has been influenced by John Cage (composer), Mere Cunningham
(choreographer), and the painter Robert Rauschenberg. His biggest influence has to be Marcel
Duchamp. Johns visited Philadelphia to see the painting The Large Glass painted by Duchamp
and from there Johns was influenced by Duchamp and his work that really clarified the question
on what art can really be. He has used a different variety of materials to create his pieces.
Though he is most known for using Oil paint in his paintings, he has also used, Charcoal,
Lithograph, Encaustic, and Collage. Johns began painting smaller objects easily recognized by
the American republic like: maps, flags, beer cans, and paint brushes. Theses paintings and
creations of these objects is what created his distinct style of incorporating themes of Popular
imagery and Abstraction to his pieces. During a time where the abstract style of art was the most
popular, his introduction of his styles is what got him out there in the art world.
False Start was painted in 1959 when Jasper
Johns got the idea while sitting at a bar and he read
in fine print False Start. Right then then in time,
an idea was born. In this piece Johns wanted to do
something different from his original pieces of
painting flags and targets. He kind of incorporated
those ideas into this piece. The materials he used to
create this piece are oil paint on canvas and store
bought stencils. The Oil Paint was applied by thick
brushstrokes that are not mixing with colors but they
are connecting with each other. The Stencils are
used to make out words in the different areas of the
paining. This painting is the most expensive
painting by a living artist which was sold for $80
million. I notice a lot of things going on in this
piece. I notice a lot of blobs of color coming
together with one another to make a really colorful
piece. There seems to be a really colorful explosion
in this as well as the reds, whites, blues, oranges,
and the yellows are popping out. Since there is so

Garrett Haun
Period 1
February 22, 2016
much color it makes me think that the meaning of this piece is to describe color and express it.
Another thing I notice in this piece is the wrong color words (made out of the stencils) in each
color. It really brings out a sense of confusion. The darker colors are being said in the lighter
ones and the lighter colors are being said in the lighter ones. I really like how he did this opposite
thing because it really makes the viewer think about what is going on in this piece. This piece
makes me confused and joyful because I still dont know why the opposite letters are in the other
spots but at the same time it looks like a huge firework display is lighting up the night sky.
Jasper Johns got the idea of Flag when the American Flag popped up in a dream. Flag
is a Representational piece and it is
Johns first major piece. Johns used
shreds of news paper and dipped it into
encaustic (wax based substance) and
then he let it cool and then applied
distinct brushstrokes to create this
piece. I notice distinct brush strokes in a
very organized piece. Since this piece
is Representational art, it is easy to
recognize that it resembles the iconic
Image curtsey of http://www.jasper-johns.org
American Flag. This means that the
colors are the actual colors of the
American Flag, red, white, and blue.
Like many of his pieces, Johns doesnt
tell the meaning of this piece. Instead
Image curtsey of http://www.jasper-johns.org
he lets the viewer interpret what this is
supposed to mean. This piece makes me feel happiness and despair. Many know that this is the
American Flag and what it stands for. The flag has stood for a lot of things, pride, freedom,
happiness, hope, and power. Its history has also told that in our country it also means despair,
sadness, depression, evilness. This makes me feel this way because of what this Flag has stood
for. You can see what it has stood for in the piece with the way the news paper was added. The
newspaper was dipped in wax and then applied on and then a bush smooths things out and ration
things out. I like how you can see the ink of the paper giving the Flag a burnt out old effect. With
the distinct brush strokes he uses it doesnt make the piece sloppy at all. If he were to use larger
brush strokes, it would smear the ink of the newspaper more than it already is making this piece
look bad. Flag is by far the best work Jasper Johns has ever done. It represents an iconic
American symbol showing the pride we have for our country. Its a very powerful symbol to
explain something for the good or bad. The way he incorporates everything to come together just
makes the piece powerful.
Today Jasper Johns is still highly recognized as one of the top artists in the world. His
work can be found in museum collections and his work is sold at the highest of prices. Because
of his style of using themes of Popular imagery and Abstraction in his pieces, he has broken
down the standards and the barriers of what is considered to be art. One thing his art work is
famous for is letting the viewer interpret the meaning of the piece. Johns is also famous for using
no dialogue in his pieces. His style of artwork is what led away from the art period of Abstract

Garrett Haun
Period 1
February 22, 2016
Expressionism. Because Johns broke down barriers in the art world, he is one of the best and
most influential artists in the world.

Bibliography
"Jasper Johns (born 1930) | Essay | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art
History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Met's Heilbrunn
Timeline of Art History. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
"Jasper Johns Biography, Art, and Analysis of Works." The Art
Story. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
"About the Painter." PBS. PBS, 28 Mar. 2008. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
"Jasper Johns and His Paintings." Jasper Johns. N.p., n.d. Web. 29
Feb. 2016.
Bio.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
"Artists in 60 Seconds: Jasper Johns." About.com Education. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
"Jasper Johns | 10 Facts About The American Artist." Learnodo
Newtonic. N.p., 16 June 2015. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
Brockes, Emma. "Interview: Jasper Johns." The Guardian. Guardian
News and Media, 26 July 2004. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.