Untitled (Embassies) [trial proof] 1999

Editor: Here we have Jasper Johns' "Untitled (Embassies) [trial proof]", a 1999 collage, print and watercolor work on paper. The juxtaposition of images is intriguing. There's a swirling form, a family photograph, some bars, and then this harlequin patterned window frame. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Focusing on the visual elements, the composition relies heavily on the interplay of contrasting forms. Note the hard edges of the geometric shapes against the softer, more organic lines of the swirling image. How do these differing visual languages communicate, do you think? Editor: It's like different worlds colliding. The photograph feels very grounded and real, while the spiral has this sense of movement and abstraction. What do you make of the artist layering these diverse, tactile patterns into a whole? Curator: Indeed, the layering is crucial. Johns seems less concerned with representing a singular 'reality' and more interested in exploring the surface of representation itself. Consider the flatness of the picture plane emphasized by the collage elements. It resists any illusion of depth, no? Editor: I see what you mean. It’s not trying to trick us into thinking it's a window or a real scene. It’s all about the artwork as an object, drawing our attention to its two-dimensionality. The artist's mark is present. Curator: Precisely. The materiality – the texture of the paper, the layering of print and watercolor – all underscore this. Ultimately, the work becomes a self-referential statement on the nature of art, wouldn't you agree? Editor: Yes, that makes perfect sense. It's less about what it depicts and more about how it depicts, focusing our attention on form, materiality and line rather than content. Curator: A valuable point. There is so much in here that challenges us.