Face with Watch [trial proof 4th state + 5 plates] 1996

This print, called "Face with Watch" was made by Jasper Johns. I love how Johns takes the most ordinary things, a face, a watch, and turns them into something we look at again. Here, everything's about mark-making. The image is built from a series of lines, grouped in different ways to create texture. See the rectangle in the middle? It’s a field of short strokes, little hatch marks, all packed together. Some are pink, others are tan. Look at how those lines shift direction to create depth, almost like a woven fabric. It's not just about what it represents, but how it's made. And that, for me, is what art is all about, pushing the boundaries and making us see the world anew. Like his contemporary Rauschenberg, Johns’ work can be appreciated for how it blurs the line between painting and sculpture, challenging our ideas of what art can be.