Flag (painting)
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''Flag'' is an
encaustic painting Encaustic painting, also known as hot wax painting, is a form of painting that involves a heated wax medium to which colored pigments have been added. The molten mix is applied to a surface—usually prepared wood, though canvas and other mate ...
by the American artist
Jasper Johns Jasper Johns (born May 15, 1930) is an American painter, sculptor, and printmaker whose work is associated with abstract expressionism, Neo-Dada, and pop art. He is well known for his depictions of the American flag and other US-related top ...
. Created when Johns was 24 (1954–55), two years after he was discharged from the
US Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
, this painting was the first of many works that Johns has said were inspired by a dream of the
U.S. flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the ca ...
in 1954. It is arguably the painting for which Johns is best known.


Description

The work measures by . It is made using encaustic, oil paint, and newsprint collage on three separate canvases, mounted on a plywood board. The painting reflects the three colors of the US flag: red, white and blue; the flag is depicted in the form it took between 1912 and 1959, with 48 white stars on a blue canton representing the then-US states (excluding Alaska and Hawaii), and with thirteen red and white stripes. Newsprint is visible under the stripes. Reading the texts, it is clear that the newsprint was not selected at random: Johns steered clear of headlines, or national or political news, and used inconsequential articles or adverts. The painting has a rough-textured surface, and the 48 stars are not identical. It is dated 1954 on its reverse.


''Flag'' Series

Johns made over 40 works based on the US flag, including a large and monochrome ''
White Flag White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale. Contemporary use The white flag is an internationally recognized protective sign of truce or ceasefire, and for negotiation. It is also used to symbolize ...
'' in 1955, and his 1958 work '' Three Flags'' with three superimposed flags showing a total of 84 stars. Jasper Johns's 48-star ''Flag'' from 1958 was purchased in 2010 by hedge fund manager Steven A. Cohen for an estimated $110 million, making it the most expensive painting ever by a living artist. In November 2014 the encaustic ''Flag'' (1983) was auctioned off for $36,000,000 at Sotheby's New York.


References


Further reading


''American Culture in The 1950s''
Martin Halliwell, p. 203–205 * https://web.archive.org/web/20120622185114/http://edu.warhol.org/app_johns.html
''Figuring Jasper Johns''
Fred Orton, p. 89–146
''Made in U.S.A.: An Americanization in Modern Art, the '50s and '60s''
Sidra Stich, p. 19
''The Target: Alain Robbe-Grillet, Jasper Johns''
Ben Stoltzfus, p. 80–81


External links


''Flag''
Museum of Modern Art

Metropolitan Museum of Art {{Authority control 1954 paintings Paintings by Jasper Johns Paintings in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (New York City) Flags in art Flags of the United States