Green Angel 2 [1st element (plate B) 2nd state] 1997

Jasper Johns created this print, Green Angel 2, using lithography, a process that relies on the interaction of grease and water. The image emerges from the flat surface of the lithographic stone or plate, built up through layers of ink. Look closely, and you’ll see the dense, almost tactile quality of the medium. Lithography allows for a remarkable range of tonal variation, evident in the subtle gradations of grey that define the composition. Johns’s work often blurs the line between reproduction and original, questioning the value we place on artistic labor. Is this print merely a copy, or does the artist's hand, through the manipulation of materials, imbue it with its own unique presence? The textures and tones achieved through the lithographic process are critical to the work's impact, challenging our assumptions about the relationship between art, labor, and value.