Ale Cans by Jasper Johns, b.1930

Jasper Johns, b.1930
Scroll down for information.
Click here to return to the list.

Ale Cans

Original etching with aquatint in black ink. 1969. Signed in pencil. dated 1967-69. Numbered from the edition of 40 (there were also 9 artist's proofs). Issued in the series: First Etchings, 1969. Printed at the studio of ULAE, and with their blindstamp.
Ref: ULAE 58, Field - 'Jasper Johns Prints' no 80.

Beautiful rich impression. On pale cream handmade wove Auvergne paper. Generally excellent original condition, not restored; the slightest sign of one or two tiny flecks in the outer margin area - image area perfect. Full margins. Sheet: 25 1/2 x 19 1/2 ins. Plate: 11 x11 1/8 ins (280x283mm)

This item is sold.
Click here to enquire about this item.

?Ale Cans? is one of the most famous themes in John?s art. It typifies his concept of limiting his compositions to a small number of highly recognisable everyday objects - the American flag, a target, letters of the alphabet are other examples. Then, by treating the subject in a new way, he divorces its reality as an everyday object from its existence as a vehicle for ideas about light, form or the actual spatial presence of any artefact. It is in some ways a development of the Dada or Surrealist concept that any item however mundane can be a vehicle for artistic expression.

This etching on the ?Ale Cans? theme is one of his earliest prints on this subject. It was etched in 1967 and first sold in 1969, forming part of a small group of prints known as ?First Etchings?. Only printed in a very small edition it is a work which is rarely seen. The sensitivity of the use of the medium, the balance of bitten line, tone and surface, underline John?s extremely great technical gifts as a printmaker quite apart from his inspiration as an artist.

Jasper Johns has, without doubt, proved to be one of the most significant, gifted and influential artists in the whole development of American art since the 1950?s. His prints are a very major element in his overall oeuvre.