The Seasons (Winter) [6th state] 1987

Editor: Here we have Jasper Johns' "The Seasons (Winter) [6th state]", created in 1987. It’s a mixed-media print, an etching that immediately evokes a feeling of… well, cold, bleakness, maybe even a sort of lonely introspection. What do you see in this piece, especially concerning its symbols? Curator: The bleakness you feel resonates deeply, connecting to winter’s historical symbolism. Winter often represents a time of dormancy, of inward reflection before rebirth. Look at the ghostly figure, its presence defined by absence. The body becomes a silhouette onto which “snow” falls, or rather a pattern of repeated marks accumulate. What might these repetitive marks suggest about the season, about memory itself? Editor: Perhaps a blurring of past and present, the repetition almost numbing, like enduring a long winter? Curator: Precisely! Johns layers imagery and techniques to tap into this collective experience of time and memory. Notice the fragmented objects – the ladder, the geometric shapes – they appear almost like artifacts, remnants of past seasons, or perhaps even past lives. How do these fragments contribute to the overall feeling of the piece? Editor: They create a sense of unease, things aren’t quite whole. The composition feels disjointed, adding to that feeling of introspection, almost like sifting through fragmented memories. Curator: Yes, the lack of resolution prompts the viewer to piece together meaning from these symbolic shards, activating our own cultural memory. Each element carries a weight, connecting us to shared understandings of winter's impact on our psyches. It invites us to contemplate cycles of life, death, and, eventually, renewal. Editor: I never thought about winter carrying so much symbolic baggage, but seeing it broken down into these images really brings the weight of that home. Curator: Exactly. Johns masterfully utilizes recognizable images, laden with centuries of meaning, to subtly explore psychological space and how symbols shape perception itself.