Jasper Johns: “Something Resembling Truth”

Fascinating exhibition at Royal Academy looking at the work of Jasper Johns.

The commentary to the exhibition was excellent and brought out the depth in these works which can feel one dimensional on an initially viewing and by the nature of the repetition of themes. It emphasised the main aim of making you look at ordinary things and find a deeper meaning hence the use of “things the mind already knows” such as flags and targets.

Seeing the works together and looking them as objects rather than just images you saw the differences between each work. I’d not realised that many of the flag pictures are wax over collage. I liked three panels split open to show the wall behind to make you think about the space around you and the oddness of looking at an image hanging on a wall.

I loved the section on the studio and in particular the bronze sculptures of objects from the studio such as paint brushes in a branded tin. That same pot was then shown in a picture so was it the original or the bronze, should it be taken as a self-portrait? I also loved the humour in his bronzes of beer cans which fed into the idea that his agent was known as someone who could sell anything.

It was nice to see some of the recent works based on a photograph of Lucien Freud again which had a detailed display at the Courtauld a couple of years ago.

Closed on 10 December 2017.

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