Editorial Review

In any survey of the art of the second half of this century, Jasper Johns is a central figure. This comprehensive book is the most authoritative and complete book to date on this important North American artist. This lavish volume contains 483 illustrations, including 261 in full color and four foldouts. Johns's entire oeuvre is arranged in sections corresponding to each era of his career in all media--paintings, drawings, sculptures, and prints. With its scholarly essays, beautiful color plate reproductions, and extensive bibliography and chronology, this book is sure to become the definitive resource on Jasper Johns. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A magnificent retrospective of this great artist's life work
Did you miss the Johns retrospective at NY MOMA?This book captures the essence of an American Michaelangelo.Subjective?You bet!If you have even the slightest interest in modern art your library is not complete without this retrospective.The many color and b&w photographs are superb, and it is accompanied by a solid chronology of Mr. Johns's life.Emphasis is on original works, but includes a good selection of more important lithographs (I recommend the prints Catalog Raisonne by ULAE if you want a complete reference work in this area).A tour de force by Varnedoe and his editing team! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. Individual Artist    4. Individual Painters - Contemporary    5. Techniques - Painting    6. Individual artists   

Subjects:  1. 1930-    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Exhibition Catalogs    5. Exhibitions    6. General    7. Johns, Jasper,   

Editorial Review

This little book has an essay at the front by Leo Castelli, the legendary New York art dealer who in the late 1950s snapped up the young Jasper Johns for his stable of new artists--nearly all of whom became wildly successful. Most of the rest of the book is like a snapshot album, immersing the reader in pictures of Johns, his studio, his paintings, and historical artifacts. These last include the Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th Century Art    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Individual Artist    5. Art / Individual Artist   

Reviews (4)

Good
Novelists have always loved artists, and artists have always loved novelists. They love and admire the other's talent, but--most important--they are not competitors. Crichton's love of Johns' workcertainly comes forth, and Johns' seemed flattered that a best-sellingnovelist, and not an art professor, wanted to do a book on him. That mutualadmiration underlies why this is such a solid book.

Probably as good as possible--without being intrusive
The author well restrained himself from "digging into the painful childhood" that produced such an unusually remote "negator of impulses."He brought out the positive aspects of Johnspersonality--his ability to laugh at himself and not always to take himselftoo seriously."His work is a constant negation of impulses"said the critic..."wouldn't you say so Jasper?""NO"says Jasper, laughing.Jasper can laugh.That is nice.The authorrespected his need for privacy in his personal life.He presented a verydifficult, complex personality with dignity, humor, and good taste.

Probably as good as possible--without being intrusive
The author well restrained himself from "digging into the painful childhood" that produced such an unusually remote "negator of impulses."He brought out the positive aspects of Johnspersonality--his ability to laugh at himself and not always to take himselftoo seriously."His work is a constant negation of impulses"said the critic..."wouldn't you say so Jasper?""NO"says Jasper, laughing.Jasper can laugh.That is nice.The authorrespected his need for privacy in his personal life.He presented a verydifficult, complex personality with dignity, humor, and good taste. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1930-    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Catalogs    5. Criticism and interpretation    6. Individual Artist    7. Individual Painters - Contemporary    8. Johns, Jasper    9. Johns, Jasper,    10. History of art & design styles: from c 1900 -    11. Individual artists   

Subjects:  1. Johns, Jasper   

Subjects:  1. Art    2. Individual Artist    3. Individual artists   

Subjects:  1. 20th century    2. American - General    3. Art    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Art collections    6. Art, American    7. Broad, Eli    8. California    9. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - General    10. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - Private    11. Exhibitions    12. Los Angeles    13. Private collections    14. Art / General    15. Art styles: c 1960 -    16. Exhibition catalogues and specific collections    17. USA   

Reviews (1)

An effort too far in repetitious jargon
I found this book to be pretentiously over complexified. The relationship between object and surface has been aptly documented by many other art historians of the late 20thC.
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Art & Art Instruction    3. General    4. Individual Artist    5. Art / General    6. History of art & design styles: from c 1900 -    7. Individual artists    8. Painting & paintings    9. Sculpture & other three-dimensional art forms   

Subjects:  1. 1930-    2. Crafts / Hobbies    3. Exhibitions    4. Johns, Jasper,    5. Printmaking    6. Catalogues    7. Johns, Jasper   

Subjects:  1. 1930-    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Artists    5. Biography    6. Individual Artist    7. Johns, Jasper,    8. United States    9. Art styles: c 1960 -    10. Individual artists    11. Johns, Jasper   

Subjects:  1. 1930-    2. 20th Century Art    3. Art    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - General    6. Drawing By Individual Artists    7. Exhibitions    8. Individual Artist    9. Johns, Jasper,    10. Techniques - Drawing    11. Drawing & drawings    12. Individual artists   

Subjects:  1. 1930-    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Artistic collaboration    5. Criticism    6. Friends and associates    7. History - Modern (Late 19th Century to 1945)    8. Johns, Jasper,    9. Modernism (Art)    10. Art / General    11. Art styles not limited by date   

Reviews (1)

Spectacular 20th Century Collection
Shows the works of the 5 prominent American Artist of the late 20th century ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 20th Century Art    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Caricatures and cartoons    5. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions    6. History - General    7. New York times    8. Permanent Collection Catalogs    9. Art collections    10. Catalogs    11. History of art & design styles: from c 1900 -    12. Individual artists    13. Meyerhoff, Jane    14. Meyerhoff, Robert    15. Museum, historic sites, gallery & art guides   

Reviews (1)

A most non-politically correct look at the old south
If you dare to have some of your pet theories about the old Antibellum South challenged, take a look at this unusual little volume! The story of a Black slave that became one of the most famous Protestant preachers of theSouth. The life of John Jasper provides a look at the South from thevantage point of the Preacher himself, with some portions of his sermonsreprinted. A most unusual and unorthodox look at the spirit of his era. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Baptists    2. Biography    3. Jasper, John    4. United States   

Subjects:  1. 1930-    2. 20th Century Art    3. Art    4. Art & Art Instruction    5. Catalogs    6. Criticism and interpretation    7. General    8. History - General    9. Individual Artist    10. Johns, Jasper,    11. Abstract Expressionism    12. Art / Individual Artist    13. Art styles: c 1960 -    14. History of art & art styles    15. Individual artists    16. Johns, Jasper    17. Painting & paintings    18. USA   

Subjects:  1. 1930-    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Exhibition Catalogs    5. Exhibitions    6. Individual Artist    7. Johns, Jasper,    8. Individual artists    9. Johns, Jasper    10. Museum, historic sites, gallery & art guides    11. USA   

Editorial Review

An artist's private life is often reflected in his work. Frequently the private is made public, and often this connection makes the work more accessible and interesting. Critic Jill Johnston has taken on the task of exploring the life and work of Jasper Johns--that most private of contemporary artists--and has succeeded brilliantly. Johnston is not simply out to reveal Johns's gayness but to explore how his sexuality has shaped his life and work. Johnston's critical eye is unwavering, her ability to delineate political and social contexts is unnervingly on-target. The fact that Johns resisted Johnston's efforts at biography gives the book an underlying tension making it even more fascinating. Read more

Reviews (5)

how dare she
i love jasper johns, how dare she degrade this man. is she jealous? hahaha.
Love Johns Hate the Book
The deeper I got into this book, the more I disliked it. It is an invasion of privacy...of a person who has decided to try and remain as private and secluded as he can be (which, by the way, is his right to do). I did read with interest as she helped to unravel the complexity behind his paintings, but did not find any interest in her exploration of his deeply personal life. Besides, the author has a tendency to rant and ramble for whole chapters at a time, which I found tedious to say the least. I gave the book 2 stars because I did learn a few things about Johns. But I can't really recommend the book to anyone.

Crude Slant
If you could just pick out some of the info it would be interesting; but her crude slant on everything was rather pathetic.It was like trying to see the big dipper thru a small crack in the wall of an outhouse. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1930-    2. 20th Century Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. Artists    5. Artists, Architects, Photographers    6. Biography    7. Biography/Autobiography    8. Criticism    9. Johns, Jasper,    10. United States    11. Biography: general    12. History of art & design styles: from c 1900 -    13. Individual artists    14. Johns, Jasper    15. Painting & paintings    16. USA   

Subjects:  1. 20th Century Art    2. 20th century    3. Art    4. Art and religion    5. Art, American    6. Figurative art    7. Religion And Art    8. United States   

Subjects:  1. American - General    2. Art    3. Art & Art Instruction    4. General    5. Art styles: c 1960 -    6. Art styles: c First World War to 1960    7. Individual artists    8. USA   

Reviews (4)

A mix of "COPS" and "Night Court."
A collection of anecdotes, told by a real magistrate in Virginia which is at times poignant, funny, and distressing.Oh, the trouble some people have just getting on in life!The author describes what he deals with dayin and day out, sharing his values and conclusions.I highly recommendthis book to anyone, as it is both entertaining and educational.Would beexcellent gift for high school or college students thinking about careersin social services or law.

Witty and humorous, yet painfully real. Great reading.
The author's self-effacing style brought a reality to the situations that made me feel like I was there experiencing the insanity, fumbling along with him in search of a valid assessment of impassioned criminalcomplaints. The quick pace, wit and humor kept my interest such that Ididn't put it down until I was done. The book gives a base working levelpicture of the front end of the criminal justice system in the Commonwealthof Virginia from the perspective of an individual (The Magistrate) who isinterviewing cops as well as suspects and witnesses hot from the"scene of the crime" before they have had time to reflect on andorganize their stories for their own benefit. It is a great study on thedevious side of human nature as it applies to suspects, witnesses andvictims weaving a tangled web to try to save their hides or punish theirenemies. It is a window inside a government bureaucracy as viewed candidlyby a bureaucrat that is still clinging to a conscience and a heart. Thisbook is stimulating, amusing, emotional yet easy reading. I can see it as abest seller when it is discovered.

G R E A TR E A D! ! !
I've already ordered them as Christmas gifts. Certainly one of the most interesting, and well written, paperbacks this year. Sure to be a best seller. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Government - State & Provincial    2. Humor    3. Humor / Essays    4. Law / Criminal Law    5. Topic - Political    6. United States - State & Local - General    7. 1946-    8. Anecdotes    9. Criminal justice, Administrati    10. Jasper, John,    11. Law    12. Magistrates    13. United States    14. Virginia