The artwork titled “Target (ULAE 147)” was created by the artist Jasper Johns in 1974. As a notable figure within the Pop Art movement, Johns crafted this piece as an exemplar of the figurative genre. This work, representative of a period defined by the blending of popular imagery and high art, exhibits a daring confluence of common visual symbols with traditional art techniques.
The artwork itself is compelling in its simplicity and vivid color scheme. Dominated by the concentric circles of a target, the composition is a bold juxtaposition of primary and secondary colors. The target, contained within a rough rectangular form, is centrally placed and consists of bands of red, yellow, and blue, with the background divided into blocks of unblended color: green, purple, and red. These sections, rendered with purposeful brushstrokes, display a raw, tactile quality, conveying the artist’s direct engagement with the canvas.
Distinct drips and streaks of paint cascade down the canvas, suggesting a sense of immediacy and the dynamic process of the artwork’s creation. Though the subject—a target—is an ordinary object, Johns elevates it through his painterly style, transforming the mundane into a symbol open to a multiplicity of interpretations. The result is a work that resides at the intersection of abstraction and representation, challenging viewers to question the nature of signs and the context in which art exists.
