Jasper Johns was one of the most influential American artists of the 20th century and influenced pop, minimal, and conceptual art. Johns was interested in the question of representation in art (signs, symbols, and images). He was experimental.
He had a cool, anti-expressive style. His way of making art was antithetical to Jackson Pollock and his cohort (the abstract expressionists).
In 1954, Jasper Johns destroyed all his previous artwork and started exploring everyday symbols such as flags, maps, targets, and numbers. This was radical at the time due to the banality of the subject matter. It also called back to the work of Marcel Duchamp—and his readymades.
One of Jasper Johns’ influences was Robert Rauschenberg, with whom he had a romantic relationship until 1961. From Rauschenberg, he learned the importance of everyday materials.
Jasper Johns was interested in sculpture and produced an ale can sculpture four years before Andy Warhol debuted his Brillo Boxes.
With the remaining examples, other themes are present:
The examination of the relationship between painting and sculpture.
Language: How do visual ideas about art and language co-mingle?
Prints: Johns was prolific with prints and would incorporate the printing process with painting.
Evidence of process: He would leave evidence of the making process in artwork.