Jasper Johns has often been called an "artist's artist." In
his use of found objects and commonplace imagery, he creates
tantalizing, intellectually demanding works of unparalleled
orginality and uncommon beauty. His new work, with it pun,
optical illusions, and embedded images ranging from George
Ohr pots to the "Isenheim Altarpiece" to Picasso etchings,
has attracted an unprecedented level of intense critical
attention.
Crichton, who has known Johns and collected his work for
more than twenty years, offers a dazzling succession of
intimate glimpses of John's potent and seemingly
contradictory aspects, many of them highlighted by
interviews with the artist, his dealers, and distinguished
contemporary critics. He also conducts a powerful,
sensitive, and wide-reaching cirtique of John's work - and
in so doing offers an intriguing investigation into the very
nature of the artistic response.
Accompanying Crichton's text are 186 black-and-white
illustrations, including works by Johns, photographs of him
and comparative examples. Then comes a spectacular display
of 231 paintings, prints, sculptures, and drawings by Jasper
Johns, ranging from his earliest pieces to his most recent
works, some forty years later. Of these, 128 are reproduced
in duotone and 103 in full color, including six magnificent
foldout pages - the most lavish view of the artist's work
ever assembled between book covers.
Meticulous scholarship supports this presentation of Jasper
Johns by Michael Crichton in every respect. Notes, a
selected bibliography, and in index of illustrated works
complete this extraordinary volume - a book for the layman,
for the art specialist, and for all who love contemporary art.
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