Gray Alphabets

Jasper Johns, Gray Alphabets, 1968, color lithograph on paper, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1988.18.19
Copied Jasper Johns, Gray Alphabets, 1968, color lithograph on paper, image: 51 x 34 in. (129.5 x 86.4 cm) sheet: 60 x 42 in. (152.4 x 106.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts, 1988.18.19

Artwork Details

Title
Gray Alphabets
Artist
Printers
Publisher
Gemini G.E.L.
Date
1968
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
image: 51 x 34 in. (129.5 x 86.4 cm) sheet: 60 x 42 in. (152.4 x 106.7 cm)
Credit Line
Transfer from the National Endowment for the Arts
Mediums Description
color lithograph on paper
Classifications
Subjects
  • Object — letter
  • Abstract
Object Number
1988.18.19
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1988.18.19

Artwork Description

Jasper Johns transformed symbols and objects into subjects for art. He took a close look at letters and numbers, targets and flags, and built his career on repetitively depicting these age-old motifs. In Gray Alphabets, Johns filled a grid with a continuous, repeating sequence of the letters a through z. The image resembles the movable type in a printer’s forme, while the nuanced shading of each letter retains the personal touch of the artist’s hand.


Pop Art Prints, 2014