Dancers on a Plane 1980 - 1981

Curator: Jasper Johns's "Dancers on a Plane," held at the Tate, presents an intriguing visual puzzle. What's your first take? Editor: Overwhelming. I'm immediately struck by the all-over composition, the almost oppressive density of the hatched strokes. What's beneath the surface here? Curator: Well, consider the period. Johns often engages with the legacy of Abstract Expressionism, critiquing its heroic gestures. He incorporates mundane objects and a restricted palette. Editor: It reads like a commentary on the commodification of art itself, doesn’t it? The frame's embellishments – spoons, forks – suggest a kind of domestic consumption, reducing art to decor. Curator: Precisely. And the title, "Dancers on a Plane," paired with the abstract imagery, hints at a deeper engagement with identity and representation. Editor: A dance between the abstract and the representational, a commentary on how we interpret and assign value. I leave seeing Johns playing with these cultural scripts.