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Black and White Seasons

1989

American, born 1930

Johns is well known for his painter rendering of U.S. flags and targets, in which figuration weds abstraction, and banal motifs find salvation in exquisite brushwork. In 1985-86 he completed a set of four large canvases on the traditional subject of the seasons. Each work features a silhouette and numerous visual quotations from earler art, including that of Johns and Picasso.

This etching reproduces the four colored paintings as a continous monochromatic frieze, showcasing Johns gifts as a tonalist. From the left, the seasons are summer, autumn, winter, and spring. One shared motif is an arm in a circle: the hand is hightest in spring and lowest in winter.

Intaglio on paper

26 3/4 x 54 1/2 in. (67.95 x 138.43 cm)

Gift of Greg Kucera and Larry Yocom in honor of Patterson Sims

89.72

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, "Collection Highlights: 1945 to the Present", September 12, 1996 - June 1, 1997. (09/12/1996 - 06/01/1997)

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