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.

 

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.

 

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