Green Angel 2 1997

Editor: We’re looking at "Green Angel 2," a 1997 ink drawing and print by Jasper Johns. Its monochromatic palette gives it a stark, almost ghostly feel, but the abstract shapes also invite playful interpretations. What do you see in this piece, particularly within its historical context? Curator: I see a meditation on identity and impermanence. Johns, a gay man who came of age during a period of intense social repression, often uses coded imagery. The layering and blurring of the abstract forms here, the almost erased quality, resonate with the struggles of queer visibility and erasure within dominant narratives. Editor: The 'Green Angel' title seems almost ironic, given its monochrome presentation. Is there any commentary on visibility and cultural codes embedded there? Curator: Exactly. Consider how "green" might function as a symbol here – is it lost potential? Is it rebirth? By denying us that vibrant colour, is Johns forcing us to confront the absence, the things unspoken? The angel form itself could be interpreted as a subverted guardian, powerless against societal forces. How might Johns be playing on themes of vulnerability? Editor: That's fascinating! I never considered the absent green as an active element. Curator: And how do you read the abstract figures that remind me of topographic maps, the layering of space, as cultural cartographies that redefine their shapes in the 90s? Is the "Green Angel" lost in some non-places? Editor: That cartographic element also makes sense with issues around queer mapping in contemporary urban studies, which makes me think, what would Green Angel look like today? Curator: Exactly, the socio-historical context has reshaped the dialogue of abstract cartographies! Editor: Well, this has completely changed my view of the piece! Thanks for this insight. Curator: Indeed, art makes us question, challenge, and reshape our world.