Face with Watch [proof black plate (rejected)] 1996

This lithograph by Jasper Johns is all stark lines and empty space. It’s a rejected proof, a moment of pause in the printmaking process. I wonder what it might have been like for Johns to create this. Was he aiming for precision, only to find unexpected quirks in the lines? The composition is intriguing: a frame without a picture, a face without features, and a watch that tells no time. What does it mean to be a rejected proof? I feel a kinship with this print; I often have to reject an idea before I land on the right one. It reminds me of other artists like Rauschenberg, with their experiments with found objects and unconventional materials. In the end, this print invites us to consider the beauty in imperfection, the potential in the discarded, and the ongoing conversation between artists across time.