Jasper Johns’ 0-9 is intriguingly ten etchings on a single sheet of paper. Each of the ten numerals was etched and printed from a single small copperplate, ten in all. Over the years, Johns has incorporated references to the old and modern masters. These include Matthias Grünewald, Leonardo da Vinci, and Pablo Picasso, among others, whose imagery Johns has repurposed. The miniature dimensions of the copperplates for 0–9 suggest a group of early self-portraits that Rembrandt van Rijn printed off small etched copperplates. Johns, too, has addressed self-portraiture in indirect references to himself with such motifs as targets, letter, numerals, and body parts. The five-above-five copperplate etchings of 0–9 evoke a numerical double-row portrait gallery. The array is a subtle portrait of Johns; its plausible allusion to Rembrandt associates him with the Dutch master. Here, through the print medium of etching, one of the most distinguished printmakers of our time declares his artistic heritage and link to another great western printmaker.
Jasper Johns is a painter and printmaker who holds a foundational place in twentieth century art history. Quoting the evocative gestural brushstroke of the Abstract Expressionists, Johns represented common objects such as flags, targets, masks, maps and numbers: He sought to explore things "seen and not looked at, not examined" in pictorial form. Drawing from common commercial and 'readymade' objects, such as newspaper clippings, Ballantine Ale and Savarin Coffee cans, Johns was a bridge to Pop, Dada and Conceptual art movements.
Beyond the historical significance, each work by Johns is individually considered in sensuous form. A curiosity of medium led him to employ a range of materials from encaustic and commercial house paint to lithography, intaglio and lead relief.
1975年作 蝕刻版畫 幼點腐蝕 Barcham Green紙本附「J Johns」水印(全包邊) I. 4 1/2 x 9 1/4 英吋(11.4 x 23.5 公分) S. 17 x 13 1/2 英吋(43.2 x 34.3 公分) 款識:簽名、日期、50/100 尚有100版、20版藝術家試作版,由紐約及倫敦Petersburg Press出版,全為已裱。