“Something Resembling Truth”

REVIEW OF JASPER JOHNS EXHIBITION AT THE ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS SEPTEMBER 2017.

Between 23 September to 10 December 2017 at London’s Royal Academy you can take in a major exhibition of American artist Jasper Johns. Now in his 80’s Johns is still producing work to enchant and make us curious and quizzical and this is his first exhibition in the UK in the last 40 years. The mixing together of all mediums enhances the exhibition. Flags and Targets greet you in the first room. Other rooms feature Johns’s obsession with numbers.

Johns enjoys using material components in some of his work:- cords, frames within frames, and other unexpected objects and if you find his rather muted use of colour occasionally glum or tedious, he more than makes up for this by applying bright warm and “happy” hues to other works including The American Flag and Painting with Two Balls.

Playful works pertaining to his childhood (he was partly brought up by his grandfather and step grandmother) amuse and comfort, whilst his experience in the Baptist Church also features.

The figure of a vase appears in many paintings and is kind of a USP statement and interestingly the sides of the vase in all pictures has the profile of Queen Elizabeth on one side and Prince Philip on the other. Another of his idiosyncracies is the use of a bath showing the taps and a picture in front of it which the viewer can playfully indulge in.

Large canvasses Between The Clock and The Bed examine the passage of time whilst other collections study the four seasons featuring the aforementioned vases as a focal point.

The variety of works in this large exhibition means you are sure to find several which will truly appeal.

Penny Nair Price