Green Angel 2 [2nd Element in Black] 1997

Jasper Johns created ‘Green Angel 2 [2nd Element in Black]’ using lithography, a printmaking technique that allows for rich textures and subtle gradations of tone. Johns emerged in the mid-1950s, a period marked by Cold War anxieties and a questioning of American identity. This print, with its layering of abstract and recognizable forms, invites us to consider the complexities of seeing and knowing. Johns has said: “I am interested in things which suggest the world rather than an illustration of the world.” The fragmented imagery and the monochromatic palette evoke a sense of memory and history, filtered through personal experience. Are you drawn to the tactile quality of the lithographic marks? Consider how the artist challenges traditional notions of representation, prompting us to question the relationship between the artwork, the artist, and ourselves.