Between 1984 and 1991, the pioneering American artist Jasper Johns (b.1930), focused on the theme of the four seasons and produced an ambitious and extensive series of prints, full of rich and complex imagery.
The Seasons are rich and complex works, weaving together themes relating to artistic creation, the passage of time and the artist’s own biography. Most prominently, Johns’ shadow appears in each of the compositions, cast across the multi-layered imagery. Printmaking is one of Johns’ major preoccupations and this display reveals how he uses an array of techniques to create a collaging of imagery that is both evocative and mysterious.
The Courtauld was fortunate to be given this series of prints in 2016 by Barbara Bertozzi Castelli, the widow of John’s long-term dealer Leo Castelli, and is the only museum in the United Kingdom to have such a comprehensive group of these prints in its collection.
For more information, visit The Courtauld Gallery
