Sometimes I see it and then paint it. Other times I paint it and then see it. Both are impure situations, and I prefer neither.
Jasper JohnsRead
Make something, a kind of object, which as it changes or falls apart (dies as it were) or increases in its parts (grows as it were) offers no clue as to what its state or form or nature was at any previous time. Physical and Metaphysical. Obstinacy. Could this be a useful object?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote explores the concept of creating art that doesn't reveal its past state or form, challenging perceptions of identity and change.
Jasper Johns' quote reflects on the idea of creating an object that does not reveal its history or transformation, inviting viewers to engage with the artwork without preconceived notions of its past. This raises philosophical questions about identity, change, and the essence of an object, challenging the observer to appreciate the present moment rather than focusing on a linear narrative of development or decay. It suggests that the nature of objects—both physical and metaphysical—can be understood and appreciated in a unique way that transcends their history.
Themes
ArtCreationIdentityChangePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
In an art critique, one might use this quote to discuss the nature of abstract art and how it defies traditional interpretations.
More from Jasper Johns
All quotes →To be an artist you have to give up everything, including the desire to be a good artist.
Jasper JohnsRead
The only logical thing I can think of is that I knew there were such things as artists, and I knew there were none where I lived. So I knew that to be an artist you had to be somewhere else. And I very much wanted to be somewhere else.
Jasper JohnsRead
This image of wanting to be an artist - that I would in some way become an artist -was very strong. I knew for a long, long time that that's what I would be. But nothing I ever did seemed to bring me any nearer to the condition of being an artist. And I didn't know how to do it.
Jasper JohnsRead
One wants one's work to be the world, but of course it's never the world. The work is in the world; it never contains the whole thing.
Jasper JohnsRead
Sometime during the mid-50s I said, 'I am an artist.' Before that, for many years, I had said, 'I'm going to be an artist.' Then I went through a change of mind and a change of heart. What made 'going to be an artist' into 'being an artist', was, in part, a spiritual change.
Jasper JohnsRead
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