Jasper Johns

In 1954/55, Johns painted what would be his most famous artwork: Flag, inspired by a dream. He used encaustic and oil paint, creating a rough-textured surface, on top of newsprint collage, clearly appearing below the paint.

On this Post, Johns shares a close up of Flag and the artist Robert Rauschenberg, his partner, teases him about the confusion between the object and the representation of the object. To the frequent question: it is a painted flag or a painting of a flag? Johns said it was both pushing back the boundaries of what is art.

In March 57, Leo Castelli made a visit to Rauschenberg’s studio who introduced the art dealer to Johns. Johns got his first solo exhibition at the Castelli Gallery in early 1958. He made over 40 works based on the US flag.

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Keith Haring

In the eighties, Keith Haring made posters for projects he believed in. He saw it as a way to reach more people which was in line with his Pop Shop towards democratization of art, for which he was criticized by many, being seen as too commercial. He was sincerely advocating for art being more accessible and available for everyone.
Leo Castelli, a leading figure in the art world supported his work and show it at his iconic gallery.
Claude Picasso, befriended Haring and declared “Picasso would have been absolutely thrilled to meet (…) Ketih, because he is the real worker (…) and in a way that my father would appreciate. They have similar energies.”

 

Sources: 1966 interview with Alan Solomon, Jasper Johns, Isabelle Loring Wallace

Art on the Block: Tracking the New York Art World from SoHo to the Bowery, Bushwick and Beyond, Ann Fensterstock

Keith Haring, John Gruen, 1991, Keith Haring journal