The artwork “Flag on Orange Field” is a creation by artist Jasper Johns, dated to 1957. This oil on canvas painting encapsulates the essence of the Pop Art movement and measures 124.5 cm in height and 167.6 cm in width. The piece is of a figurative genre and is prominently housed within the Museum Ludwig in Cologne, Germany.
The artwork features an American flag rendered with meticulous attention to detail against a vibrant orange background. The stars and stripes of the flag are depicted with a sense of immediacy and flatness characteristic of Johns’ style, which often challenges the boundary between object and art. The orange field enveloping the flag is textured and rich in hue, providing a stark, contrasting backdrop that evokes both a sense of depth and a graphic quality. This juxtaposition of realist symbolism with an abstract landscape invites viewers to reconsider familiar symbols and their meanings within a contemporary context. Johns’ painting, through this striking use of color and representation, encourages an exploration of national identity and the visual language of iconography.
