Face with Watch [1st state 1/2] 1996

Jasper Johns made this print called "Face with Watch" using etching, a process where lines are bitten into a metal plate with acid, before being inked and printed. Look at the wispy marks. They create a world of greys, capturing an image that is both there and not there. The imagery feels both ephemeral and deeply thought-through. I love how Johns embraces the process of art-making. He doesn't hide the traces of his hand. The texture of the paper is part of the piece too. Everything seems to be pinned to the surface, including an image of a wristwatch. This gives the piece a feeling of collage and assemblage. It’s like Johns is asking us to consider what we value and how we measure our lives. Johns always makes me think about Rauschenberg, another great printmaker. Like them, prints can be both multiple and unique. They’re never quite the same, existing somewhere between the singular and the mass-produced. Art is an ongoing conversation, and Johns is an important voice.