Jasper Johns’s use of pre-formed objects, specifically anatomical casts, notably in conjunction with the iconic target motif, represents a significant departure from Abstract Expressionism. These works, incorporating commonplace items like body parts cast in plaster, challenged conventional notions of artmaking and subject matter in the mid-20th century. This artistic strategy questioned the boundaries between representation and abstraction, the readymade and the handcrafted, and the personal and the universal.
This combination of readily recognizable imagery with unconventional materials helped usher in new artistic movements like Pop Art and Minimalism. By employing existing forms, Johns shifted the focus from the artist’s emotional gesture, dominant in Abstract Expressionism, toward a more objective exploration of perception and the nature of art itself. His work prompted critical consideration of how meaning is constructed through visual symbols and the interplay between familiar objects and artistic representation. The resulting pieces serve as powerful reflections on the act of seeing and the construction of meaning within a specific cultural context.
