Untitled 1997

This untitled print by Jasper Johns presents a complex interplay of form and texture. The composition, dominated by a muted palette, invites us into a world where representation blurs with abstraction. Johns divides the space into distinct panels, each a field for exploring different modes of mark-making. Note how he disrupts any clear sense of depth or perspective, flattening the image and challenging our perception. The semiotic system of signs within the image—the bird, the ladder—never resolve into a coherent narrative. Johns seems less interested in what these signs represent than in how they function as visual elements within the overall structure. Through this structural approach, Johns destabilizes the traditional role of art as a vehicle for straightforward communication. He suggests that meaning is not inherent but emerges from the relationships between form, material, and the viewer’s own interpretive activity.