The stenciled, sculpted, or painted word is a central motif in approximately thirty major paintings produced by Jasper Johns between 1955 and 1964. For Johns, who often recycles important ideas in his work, the written word is a key element that transcends other stylistic and iconographic transformations during this period. The words in Johns' paintings refer to the names of colors, label familiar objects or title his compositions. The written word appears in works by other artists prior to 1955, and therefore Johns' significance lies not so much in the establishment of a new aesthetic vocabulary, but in exploring ways that language works in the visual arts. Because Johns' use of word imagery from 1955-1964 is innovative and important, it is the purpose of this thesis to examine the different ways that Johns approaches the subject of language within the framework of painting.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:vcu.edu/oai:scholarscompass.vcu.edu:etd_retro-1126 |
| Date | 01 January 1997 |
| Creators | Wright, Margee Stanchfield |
| Publisher | VCU Scholars Compass |
| Source Sets | Virginia Commonwealth University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Retrospective ETD Collection |
| Rights | © The Author |
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