Jasper Johns
Flags, 1967-68
Lithograph
34 1/4” x 25 1/2”
Student Union Collection of Contemporary Art, CU1969.19.1

American artist Jasper Johns (b.1930) has often been named the founder of the Pop Art movement due to his use of simple yet direct images. After moving to New York in the early 1950s, Johns began painting flags, targets, and stenciled numbers. By filling up his entire compositions with these few familiar shapes, Johns was able to remove himself from the challenge of design, allowing himself to reexamine each motif. In Flags, Johns invites the viewer to view this recognizable object in a new way. By staring at the white dot in the center of the top flag and shifting focus to the black dot on the grey flag below, the familiar colors of red, white, and blue become visible.

Art © Jasper Johns /Licensed by VAGA, New York, NY