Jasper Johns’ “Summer” (1985) is a limited-edition etching and aquatint work on T. Edmunds paper. It comes with an illustrated book featuring Wallace Stevens’ poems. As a Neo-Dadaist artist, Johns often integrates objects from pop culture into his works, and “Summer” follows suit by combining fragmented references to his past work and life.
The autobiographical nature of this piece involves including a tracing of the artist’s shadow and plaster casts of a model’s face in building up the textured surface of the painting with newspaper/fabric dipped in encaustic. The finished product measures 12 x 9 x 1 1/4 inches and belongs to an edition of 300 prints.
While it is clear that “Summer” pays homage to Johns’ past creations, its enigmatic details leave plenty for art enthusiasts to interpret for themselves. Given Jasper John’s reputation as one of America’s modern masters, studying “Summer” offers an insightful peek into this clever artist’s creative mind.
In summary, Jasper Johns created the famous artwork called “Summer,” which showcases his neo-dadaist style through fragmentation & autobiographical elements such as tracing his shadow & plaster casts textured surfaces using various materials like newspaper/fabric dipped in encaustic. This masterpiece is part of a limited edition set that includes an illustrated book filled with Wallace Stevens’ poems; it also measures 12 x 9 x 1 1/4 inches and is part of an edition of around three hundred prints. Despite its small size, there are numerous subtle details that allow audience members to interpret this creation according to their preferences and engage deeply with the brilliance behind John’s artwork.
