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

This trial proof by Jasper Johns has the feel of a study in brown. Look at the deep reddish-brown ground against which lighter, almost sandy, linear marks appear. I imagine Johns carefully layering colors and textures, building up a complex surface that invites close inspection. What I see in the center reminds me of a woven tapestry rendered in paint, each stroke a deliberate act of construction. And then there’s that watch, hanging precariously, a pop-like element. Johns is always playing with our perceptions of everyday objects. Here, the texture, the layering, and the color create a depth that transforms the mundane into something else entirely. It’s as if Johns is asking us to reconsider how we see the world, one mark at a time. He's in conversation with artists like Robert Rauschenberg, blurring the lines between painting and sculpture, representation and abstraction.