Johns began to incorporate a cross-hatch pattern in his paintings after seeing it on a car: “It had all the qualities that interest me—literalness, repetitiveness, an obsessive quality, order with dumbness, and the possibility of a complete lack of meaning.” Using encaustic, a method of painting that suspends pigment in hot wax, Johns creates lush, layered paintings with richly textured surfaces.
Gallery label from Studio Visit:Selected Gifts from Agnes Gund, 2018