New Sculpture and Works on Paper
Sculpture | Jasper Johns
One stunning piece from the master of the obtuse.
Ok, so Jasper Johns' current show at the Matthew Marks Gallery in NYC won't go down as his greatest of all time. Most people don't even know he's still alive! Plus, being Jasper Johns and all, the bar is set pretty high. But the show's not a complete dud. The main attraction, a large cast aluminum relief, stands like an altarpiece at the end of an aisle, flanked by smaller reliefs. Based on his famous numerical stencil series from the 60s, it radiates a cool, almost unearthly, glow. Up close you can see all the newspaper clippings, wax drips, and fingerprint smears that went into making it, and the warm/cold contrast is classic Johns. This piece alone makes the show worth seeing. Much weaker, however, are the smaller works on wooden pedestals-their visible wood grain gives the show a carpentry vibe that feels out of place. A series of drawings in the back room feature the optical illusion vase/face image reversals that Johns is known for. But before you roll your eyes in boredom, note the presence of fuzzy little smiley faces that inject a much-needed silliness into Johns' dry equation. They're drop-dead funny. It's nice to see The Master of the Obtuse going for a real laugh in the LOL age.
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