Jasper Johns: An Allegory of Painting, 1955-1965. by WEISS, Jeffrey et alii (2007) Paperback

Jasper Johns (b. 1930) is one of the most significant figures in the postwar art history. His work from 1955 to 1965 was pivotal, exerting an enormous impact on the subsequent development of pop, minimalism, and conceptual art in the United States and Europe. This is the first publication to approach Johns's work of this ten-year period through a thematic framework. It examines the artist's interest in the condition of painting as a medium, a practice, and an instrument of encoded meaning through several interrelated motifs: the target, the "device," the naming of colors, and the imprint of the body.

Leading scholars, a conservator, and a contemporary artist have considered Johns's activity in this critical decade and discussed many of his iconic paintings, such as Target with Four Faces (1955), Diver (1962), Periscope (Hart Crane) (1963), and Arrive-Depart (1963). Their new critical and historical perspectives are grounded in an unusually close visual and material analysis of Johns's work. This handsome book presents these new insights.

The examination of Johns's work from 1955 to 1965 is pivotal, as it was during this period that he exercised an enormous impact on the subsequent development of pop, minimalism, and conceptual art in the United States and Europe. This publication is the first to approach Johns's work of this ten-year period through a thematic framework, exploring the artist's interest in the condition of painting as a medium, a practice, and an instrument of encoded meaning.

The book features contributions from leading scholars, a conservator, and a contemporary artist, who have closely examined many of Johns's iconic paintings from this critical decade. Their analyses offer new critical and historical perspectives grounded in a detailed visual and material study of the works. Paintings such as Target with Four Faces (1955), Diver (1962), Periscope (Hart Crane) (1963), and Arrive-Depart (1963) are discussed in depth, providing readers with a nuanced understanding of Johns's artistic practice and its significance within the broader context of postwar art.

This handsome volume represents a significant contribution to the scholarship on Jasper Johns, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. By approaching his work through a thematic lens and drawing on interdisciplinary expertise, the book sheds new light on Johns's pivotal role in shaping the trajectories of pop, minimalism, and conceptual art during a crucial period in the history of American and European art.

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