Regrets: Jasper Johns

Fascinating exhibition at the Courtauld of recent work by Jasper Johns.

The exhibition took you through the creative process behind the work really well. Their inspiration had come from a crumbled photograph of Lucien Freud sitting on a bed in Francis Bacon’s studio. Johns had sketched this then sketched the mirror image of it adjoining it. From this a picture of skull emerges at the top of the picture.

The series of works based on this were really beautiful. If you looked hard you could see the skull and the two images of Freud amongst the wonderful patchwork of paint which looked a little like the cover on the bed. He included the torn section as a void. In the largest more coloured canvas the whole effect was of a baroque memorial in a church with the blank space for the eulogy, two figures in mourning like pose on either side and a skull above.

The Regrets of the title came from a reproduction on many of the works of Johns stamp he had made for turning down invitations. It adds a humorous note while also adding to the memento mori effect.

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