Flag
Jasper Johns
American, born 1930
1955
A graphite and graphite-wash drawing of the American flag in which Jasper Johns uses repeated marks and smudging to make a familiar emblem feel tactile, worn, and newly ambiguous.
Dense, cross-hatched strokes and rubbed gray tones let the stars and stripes appear as a ghostly, almost eroded surface—familiar at a distance but unsettled up close.
Made in 1955, this work helped shift attention from Abstract Expressionist gesture to everyday signs, opening the way for artists to treat common imagery as objects for critical reflection.
Medium
Graphite and graphite wash on prepared paper
Dimensions
8 5/8 × 10 1/8" (21.9 × 25.7 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. (by exchange) and Committee on Drawings Funds
Accession
438.2004
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
