"To be an artist you have to give up everything, including the desire to be a good artist.” ―Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns, Three Flags, 1954. Whitney Museum, NY
Emerging in the twilight of abstract expressionism, Jasper Johns pioneered a new generation of figurative painting that would lay the foundation for pop art and minimalism in the 1960s. Trading abstraction for signs and symbols, Johns flipped the art world on its head and helped to redefine our notions of acceptable subject matter.
Johns’s earliest and most important works were his Flag paintings from the mid-1950s. My favorite thing about these paintings is how widely they can be interpreted — and how these interpretations can change over time. To this day, the symbol of the American flag carries a host of connotations and meanings that shift from individual to individual. Johns painted his Flags in the context of the McCarthyism and the Cold War. But today, our first impressions would prompt more contemporary associations. Some viewers may read it as a symbol of national pride and freedom, while others may only see imperialism and oppression. Football fans like myself might even think about Colin Kaepernick’s 2016 protests.
By presenting us with the dichotomies embedded in the American flag, Johns is making a statement not only about art, but about society. It’s important to note that Johns never provided explanations for his work, leaving the meaning to be determined by the viewer. Hence, while this painting is not explicitly political, one can still read it in such a way. This interpretive freedom harkens back to his mentor Marcel Duchamp, who always let the viewer determine the meaning of his work. I just love how contemporary and relevant this painting remains almost 70 years after its conception.