Jasper Johns
Prints

Jasper Johns has expanded our understanding of the fine-art print. This collection of works produced from 1960 through the present explores this seminal artist's commitment to the Dadaist ideas proposed in his first mature paintings, as well as what could be described as a strained humanism evident in more recent works. Jasper Johns: Prints gathers 102 works in a variety of print media and techniques, examining Johns' working relationships with the master printers with whom he has collaborated in producing one of- the most significant bodies of printed fine art of this century.

Jasper Johns Untitled, 1991 Intaglio from Copper Plates, on Paper 41-1/2 x 78"; Edition of Two Published by Universal Limited Art Editions

Johns has always pushed beyond the technical givens of print-based technique. In Decoy (1971) and Decoy II (1971 -73) he exploited commercial processes like offset printing. In early reliefs like High School Days (1969) he replaced paper with lead sheeting, which he then passed through the press. These multiple embossings restyled traditional definitions of prints and printmaking by confounding our anticipated relationship with the delicacies of a luminous paper surface, proposing instead the actual and aesthetic weight of dull, gray metal.

Technical accomplishments in printmaking during the last half of this century have made it possible for many contemporary artists to produce prints of exceptional quality. These successes are due in large part to the master printers and print publishers, such as Tatyana Grosman, who have helped artists achieve their visions. This collaborative painstaking process can be an exciting one that affords artist and printer an opportunity to experiment and to learn from one another. In the catalog essay by Melissa Rountree in the 1993 publication, Jasper Johns: Collecting Prints, eight master printers who have worked with Johns over the years speak about their collaborations with him. They each comment on Johns' incredible drive to entice from the printing surface every nuance of tone and image.

This exhibition explores in depth what has captivated many about Johns' prints: the exactness of line and clarity and elegance of his simplest drawn forms the characteristic resonance of his complex layered compositions. As compelling are his examinations of shades of gray in many varieties of print mediums, examining all the visual and tactile qualities that he can extract from one color. The exploration continues and the possibilities are unlimited until Jasper Johns.