Born in South Carolina during the Depression, Jasper Johns' interest in art led him to New York in the early 1950s where he worked as a commercial artist.
Inspired by a dream, Johns painted his first painting of the American flag in 1954. This work became the first of a series that elevated commonplace objects to the status of art. In selecting a subject, Johns sought objects that "are seen and not looked at, not examined." Using the ancient technique of encaustic, blending pigment with a binder of hot wax, the artist is able to achieve the highly textural surfaces that...
