Two Costumes [trial proof]
2000
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
color etching and aquatint on wove paper [trial proof]
Dimensions
plate: 54.93 x 13.02 cm (21 5/8 x 5 1/8 in.) sheet: 77.47 x 29.21 cm (30 1/2 x 11 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Patrons' Permanent Fund and Special Friends of the National Gallery of Art
Accession Number
2010.116.654
Art Historical Context
Jasper Johns, a pivotal figure in post-war American art, created *Two Costumes [trial]* in 2000, a color etching and aquatint wove paper. Measuring a modest plate size of 21 5/8 x 5 1/8 inches, this intimate print exemplifies Johns's lifelong fascination with everyday motifs reimagined through meticulous craftsmanship. As a trial proof, it represents an experimental stage in printmaking, where the artist tests colors, tones, and compositions before committing to the final edition—offering visitors a rare glimpse into Johns's iterative creative process. Johns, often associated with Neo-Dada an...
About the Artist
Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns (born May 15, 1930) is an American painter, sculptor, draftsman, and printmaker whose revolutionary work fundamentally transformed the trajectory of postwar American art. Emerging in the 1950s when Abstract Expressionism dominated the New York art world, Johns introduced a radically different approach by painting familiar, everyday symbols—flags, targets, numbers, and maps—that he des...