Untitled (Embassies) [trial proof 1st state] 1999

This is Jasper Johns' "Untitled (Embassies) [trial proof 1st state]" made with lithograph. What I love about this lithograph is that it's a "trial proof." I imagine Johns in his studio, pulling this print, and thinking—hmmm, not quite. You can see his process, the way the stripes and diamond patterns abut that spiraling vortex. Making a print is like having a conversation with the stone or plate, each layer a response to the last. I can imagine Johns thinking about how the textures interact, the smooth with the rough, the geometric with the organic. It reminds me of Rauschenberg's combines, that same playful juxtaposition of the everyday with the abstract. It's like they're all in this ongoing conversation, bouncing ideas off each other, pushing the boundaries of what painting and printmaking can be. Each mark carries intention, each choice opens up new possibilities. It shows how art making can be a journey of discovery, and that the final piece is only part of the story.