Figure 2

In the early 1950s, Jasper Johns made the then radical decision to begin using everyday signs and symbols—flags, targets, letters, alphabets, numbers—as subjects for his paintings and drawings. He chose these familiar and conventional motifs as a way to negate the expressive or psychological qualities of his subject matter, presenting them as formal and conceptual entities designed to elicit contemplation.

Here, the arabic numeral 2 is presented as a tangible object, in effect a portrait of a number. In this context, the subject is neutral, allowing the material surface of the drawing to assert itself. Its ultimate meaning is elusive, but, for Johns, the process of making a drawing and the materials and techniques used are integral. He invites us to experience the familiar in an unfamiliar way.