The Seasons [14th state (Spring)] 1987

Editor: We're looking at Jasper Johns' "The Seasons [14th state (Spring)]," a mixed-media print from 1987. It's a complex image, almost dreamlike. The overlapping forms and varying textures create a really intriguing surface. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It's a sophisticated composition, certainly. Notice how Johns orchestrates the surface through varied mark-making, building layers of meaning via purely formal means. The interplay of positive and negative space generates visual interest, with the diagonal stripes, for example, creating a dynamic tension against the static figurative elements. Do you observe any particular relationships between the various images? Editor: Well, there's the shadowy figure in the square, then this vase or amphora repeated elsewhere… and the little rabbit. It almost feels like a collection of memories or fragments of an experience. Is the figure an allusion or something else? Curator: Its presence primarily signifies a play of form and shape, and how the different visual elements in the etching intersect. The human body reduced to outline—it allows the artist to dissect visual structure, rhythm and proportion across the picture plane. It asks viewers to engage with how the lines operate. Editor: So, less about what each symbol means and more about how they all work together visually? Curator: Precisely. The objective isn’t decoding a narrative, but rather understanding Johns’ visual syntax. How does the texture interplay, create rhythm? The artist makes meaning constructing a purely abstract dialogue. What do you think about this now? Editor: I get it now! The elements interact to create visual harmony but are also discrete, retaining an intriguing sense of independence. This print makes one see art in terms of shapes and values, not symbols and hidden meanings. Curator: A rewarding observation.