“One cannot have too many connections with the past or the origins, which is why I am still working with symbols.”

—Jasper Johns

Quotidien, mundane imagery has been a central motif within artist Jasper Johns’ work since the start of his career in 1954. His partiality towards subjects that “the mind already knows” has manifested in representations of flags, maps, ale cans, and as in the case of Figure 5, numbers. Johns first explored the subject of numerals in his 1958-59 painting Numbers in Color, but did not translate this theme into print until his three 0-9 portfolios of 1960-63. These initial series, comprised of smaller, more uniform prints created a foundation for the rich, expansive lithographs of his Numerals series of 1968, in monochrome, and the subsequent 1969 series, produced in color. Both his Black Numerals and Color Numerals series were created to counteract the over-familiarity and constant exposure to numbers. The clarity and depth produced by the opaque and vivid hues in the Color Numerals series weakens the rigid, highly- recognizable number form, directing the viewers focus, instead, to the blending color planes. The sequence of primary (red, yellow, blue) and secondary (orange, green, and violet) colors alternates intentionally between each portrait. Not only does the varying color sequence encourage the eye to move slowly across the series, but it also reflects Johns personal color theory. The artist believed that primary colors were the fundamental building blocks of an image while the secondary colors could be utilized to create transitions and accents to slow or manipulate change of focus. Johns utilizes the color spectrum in complex and technical ways, transforming the numeral from two dimensional symbols into individual, ethereal abstractions.

Johns’ employment of numerals in both the monochromatic and color series challenges prior illustrations of numbers in art by allowing the spectator’s associative response to exist completely independently of the artist’s intent. Numbers have a wide range of associations and uses but in the certain, isolated conditions of Johns’ portfolios they are able to take on their own quality and meaning. The artist has constructed a neutral context where the number remains nothing more than an abstract symbol of language.

“Jasper understands process and how things work, and he understands collaboration…the artist who’s really keen about process and nuance is going to take the time to find that difference and make a note of it.”

—Kenneth Tyler, Gemini G.E.L Master Printer 

Working with the esteemed printshop Gemini G.E.L in Los Angeles, Johns created the lithographic stones and aluminum plates for Black Numerals. The printshop served as an important sanctuary of artist collaboration where Johns was able to work alongside the likes of Roy Lichtenstein and Robert Rauschenberg to develop his Numerals series. A year after the monochromatic Numerals, Johns returned to Gemini to repurpose his lithographic plates and begin the Color Numerals series. Johns’ inclination towards the repetition and evolution of subject matter can be found at the heart of these series. The works are a physical manifestation of Johns’ artistic process, articulated by the artist’s own instructions to himself, “Take an object. Do something to it. Do something else to it.” The essence of Johns’ work lies in this statement, in his reevaluation of numerals from multiple different angles, scales, and colors throughout the span of his career.