Jasper Johns and Things The Mind Already Knows

Johns' fascination with the ordinary, commonplace objects of everyday culture is also found in a number of sculptures he made. In this, he . . . was extending the tradition established by Marcel Duchamp, who was one of the first to break down the barrier between the world of high art and that of everyday objects and experience." (Wayne Craven, American Art, History and Culture)

American artist Jasper Johns has talked about certain motifs that appeared in his paintings in the 1950s as "things which are seen and not looked at, not examined...." Specifically, he was referring to paintings featuring the American flag or targets and, later, letters and numbers. They were all "things the mind already knows." They gave him "room to work on other levels." (Christopher Andreae, Christian Science Monitor, August 7, 2000)