White Flag - Analysis - Jasper Johns

Описание: Pop Art can be confusing. But not Jasper Johns masterpiece White Flag. It's a rare case of what you see is what you get. Checking out this painting in person feels significant because of its enormity. The Metropolitan Museum of Art showcases it well. Thanks to the white wall behind this piece, viewers can't help but notice it's not a true white flag. But pronounced at more than six by ten feet, that's only one way to take it.


Simple as it is, White Flag gives viewers a lot of material. Though Johns stripped the American flag of color, he added texture. There are layers of newsprint under thick white encaustic brushstrokes. Painters make encaustic by mixing pigment with hot wax. This gives the piece a cloudy glaze. It creates a more transparent quality than white paint. Still, taken by itself, one might interpret this piece as a reference to whiteness. Or it may seem related to the surrender of a classic white flag. But this is only one of many in Jasper Johns series of Flag paintings. He loved to mix media and explore popular symbols. The United States flag was one of his favorites.


In this instance, with White Flag, Johns reduced the symbol down to a raw state. He removed the fabric, embroidery, and color. All that's left is pure imagery - shapes and textures. The work focuses on materials more than meaning. Newsprint shows through the encaustic and gives it an ethereal feeling. This makes it easy to forget this represents an American Flag. It's as if Jasper Johns wrapped the flag up like a gift. So, we get a surprise rather than a familiar symbol.


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