Cup 2 Picasso

This color lithograph, created in 1972, presents a fragmented and layered image, immediately drawing the eye to its central subject: a cup. But it's not just any cup; it's a reproduction of a Picasso drawing, specifically one of his cubist-era still lifes. Jasper Johns takes this familiar image and, through the printmaking process, transforms it. The surface is rich with texture and subtle shifts in color, achieved by printing from three separate plates onto glass paper. Look closely at how the lines don't perfectly align, creating a vibrant, almost vibrating effect. This deliberate misalignment and the semi-transparency of the paper itself invite a deeper consideration of how we perceive and interpret images, especially those that are already iconic. It questions the very act of seeing and representing, building on a celebrated image by another artist to create something entirely new.