"Three Flags" by Jasper JohnsArtist: Jasper Johns
Born: Georgia, USA Art Styles: Modern Art, American Pop Art, Neo Dada and Abstract Expressionism Name of Artwork: Three Flags Size: 77.8 x 115.6cm Form: Encaustic on canvas Media: A mixture of pigment in warm wax Art Museum: Whitney Museum of Art, New York |
The Artwork “Three Flags” by Jasper Johns is an
artwork with three layered American flags on top of each other. There is a
large flag on the bottom and then a medium and small one on top of that. The
three colors used in this artwork are navy blue, cream and red. The stars are
cream in a blue rectangle in the top left corner. The rest of the flag has
thick stripes that are red and blue.
he balance of colour in ‘Three Flags’ is asymmetrical. The red lines have more visual weight than the blue and cream parts although there is less red in the painting. The artwork has analogous colour harmony as the colours match well and create a comfortable design. The red dominates while the cream and blue supports the design. The focal point of this artwork is the top most center flag as the viewers eye is pulled to this particular flag because there is shading around it to make it seem 3D.
The artwork is about the American flag. Three Flags is a painting of three American flags, displayed flat and unfolded, lying one on top of another. There’s a small one closest to you that you see completely, a slightly larger one behind that, and the largest flag is behind both of them. For the last two, you can only see parts of the flags, around their edges. The flags are in the traditional colors, thirteen horizontal stripes alternating red and white, and a rectangle of blue in the upper left corner holding six rows of white stars for a total of 48.
The artwork has no real meaning. ‘It has less to do with evoking American folk tradition than with transforming a charged patriotic symbol into a subdued compositional proposition’ (NY Art Commentary, 2001). Some critics also suggest that Jasper Johns painted American flags because he was named after a military hero in the Revolutionary War, Sergeant William Jasper (Art Beyond Sight, n.d).
Overall, I love this artwork because of techniques used and the no real meaning to the artwork. The encaustic style used is very different to other styles of artwork and it really brings the design to life. Pop art was about moving away from abstract expressionism and that’s exactly what this artwork did because it had no real meaning and was just a replica of an everyday American item.
Bibliography
Art Beyond Sight, n.d, 20th Century Art, viewed on 14th September 2015, http://www.artbeyondsight.org/amart/jasper-johns.shtml
The Art Story, 2015, Jasper Johns, viewed on 1st September 2015, http://www.theartstory.org/artist-johns-jasper.htm
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015, Jasper Johns, viewed on 1st September 2015, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/john/hd_john.htm
NY Art Commentary, 2001, Three Flags Meaning, viewed on 14th September 2015, http://www.newyorkartworld.com/commentary/JasperJohnsThreeFlags.html
Whitney Museum of American Art, 2015, Three Flags - 1958, viewed on 1st September 2015, http://collection.whitney.org/object/1060
By Grace Middleton
he balance of colour in ‘Three Flags’ is asymmetrical. The red lines have more visual weight than the blue and cream parts although there is less red in the painting. The artwork has analogous colour harmony as the colours match well and create a comfortable design. The red dominates while the cream and blue supports the design. The focal point of this artwork is the top most center flag as the viewers eye is pulled to this particular flag because there is shading around it to make it seem 3D.
The artwork is about the American flag. Three Flags is a painting of three American flags, displayed flat and unfolded, lying one on top of another. There’s a small one closest to you that you see completely, a slightly larger one behind that, and the largest flag is behind both of them. For the last two, you can only see parts of the flags, around their edges. The flags are in the traditional colors, thirteen horizontal stripes alternating red and white, and a rectangle of blue in the upper left corner holding six rows of white stars for a total of 48.
The artwork has no real meaning. ‘It has less to do with evoking American folk tradition than with transforming a charged patriotic symbol into a subdued compositional proposition’ (NY Art Commentary, 2001). Some critics also suggest that Jasper Johns painted American flags because he was named after a military hero in the Revolutionary War, Sergeant William Jasper (Art Beyond Sight, n.d).
Overall, I love this artwork because of techniques used and the no real meaning to the artwork. The encaustic style used is very different to other styles of artwork and it really brings the design to life. Pop art was about moving away from abstract expressionism and that’s exactly what this artwork did because it had no real meaning and was just a replica of an everyday American item.
Bibliography
Art Beyond Sight, n.d, 20th Century Art, viewed on 14th September 2015, http://www.artbeyondsight.org/amart/jasper-johns.shtml
The Art Story, 2015, Jasper Johns, viewed on 1st September 2015, http://www.theartstory.org/artist-johns-jasper.htm
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015, Jasper Johns, viewed on 1st September 2015, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/john/hd_john.htm
NY Art Commentary, 2001, Three Flags Meaning, viewed on 14th September 2015, http://www.newyorkartworld.com/commentary/JasperJohnsThreeFlags.html
Whitney Museum of American Art, 2015, Three Flags - 1958, viewed on 1st September 2015, http://collection.whitney.org/object/1060
By Grace Middleton