Untitled (Embassies) [trial proof 2nd state] 1999

Curator: Jasper Johns' "Untitled (Embassies) [trial proof 2nd state]" from 1999 presents a fascinating array of monochrome shapes and textures rendered in ink. What's your initial impression? Editor: Well, it’s visually quite striking. The contrasting blocks—the vertical stripes, the swirling vortex, the geometric panel on the right—create an intriguing tension, almost a visual puzzle. There’s a real emphasis on surface. Curator: Absolutely. Consider the arrangement of these elements. Each zone is carefully delineated, prompting us to decode Johns' visual language and his deliberate orchestration of form. The composition pushes and pulls, doesn't it? Editor: It does. And thinking about the materials, this is "trial proof 2nd state," we need to think about process and the layers that would be necessary to make a work like this. I am thinking about the amount of labor that goes into each stage. Curator: Exactly, these variations of tone invite the viewer to meditate on light, shadow, and the subtle nuances within the achromatic palette. Editor: It brings up questions, like, how do these forms evolve, why this arrangement? What decisions guided the application of ink to yield such varied textures—smooth gradients next to sharp delineations? What other states of "Embassies" exist? Curator: Precisely! Its interplay between geometric rigor and gestural fluidity, asks us to examine Johns' exploration of semiotics and structure. Editor: Thinking of context, and labor involved. The scale suggests this isn't merely a sketch; it demands consideration. But where does it stand between a 'preparatory study' and a finished piece? That transition reveals much. Curator: I agree. What stands out to me is how each individual section has been carefully crafted with acute sensitivity, that there is very much control over the placement. I will always look at it that way from now. Editor: Indeed. Looking through the lens of labor, materiality, and process, shifts my view beyond formal readings. It allows this work to breathe.