Something Resembling Truth
Courtesy of Grace Gruber ’18
May 21, 2018
“One hopes for something resembling truth, some sense of life, even of grace, to flicker, at least, in the work.” –– Jasper Johns
Truth – what an enthralling concept: a look into what is real, factual, and appears as it seems. Paintings, prints, and sculptures can represent something that has layers, and meanings that continuously shift. That right there is the beauty of the work done by Jasper Johns.
Born in 1930, Jasper Johns began his artwork in the 1950s and still continues to create pieces to this day. The exhibit at the Broad Museum in Downtown Los Angeles, Something Resembling Truth, commemorates sixty years of his works organized by theme. By organizing the exhibit by theme, it enables viewers to see how Johns revisits images and revitalizes them into something different while still maintaining a relationship between the pieces.
Many of Johns’ works feature common objects such as flags, targets, letters, and numbers. Right when any visitor enters the exhibit, the first room is full of American flag oil-on-canvas paintings that take on distinct forms. The flag or flags, depending on the piece, would take up the whole canvas (“Flag”), part of the canvas (“Two Flags on Orange”), or consist of multiple canvases (“Three Flags”) stacked on top of each other. The goal of the flag works is to challenge perspective and take a different view on a sacred American object. Johns’ continued use of letters and numbers depicts a return to the elementary basics of life. He uses many different mediums such as ink, charcoal, and metal to recreate the same idea; the diversity of his mediums across all themes is another reason why his art is so brilliant.
Another large theme in Johns’ art is time; some pieces reflect how time goes by, while others reflect timelessness, and a select few capture both. One of his most well-known series, Seasons, includes a collection of paintings that depict each of the four seasons in very abstract forms. 25 years later, he revisited Seasons to create “5 Postcards,” a five-panel color set from the original collection. This piece brings back motifs from his life and work by revealing another layer: uncertainty and human fragility. The human shadow never stands straight, depicting an imbalance of life.
On a personal note, this exhibit was wonderful. What I enjoyed most was Johns’ ability to alter the truth, and make an illusion of it with such complexity and depth. His works do challenge the concept of truth, and effectively stimulated my mind, prompting me to reflect on the true meaning of the word. Additionally, Johns’ subtle odes to life, other artists, and his other works cohesively tied the exhibit together.
Although the Johns exhibit closed on May 13th, I highly recommend visiting the Broad Museum to view the third-floor galleries and other first floor exhibits. As a seasoned Broad visitor, I have fallen in love with the museum, and the modern art it has on display.
