Art by Jasper Johns

Johns built his early reputation on paintings of things everyone already recognizes without having to think about them: American flags, targets, numbers, maps, rendered in thick, textured encaustic wax rather than ordinary paint, which gave familiar symbols an oddly physical, almost sculptural presence. He's described the choice of subject matter deliberately: things the mind already knows, so the viewer's attention goes to how the object is made rather than what it means. He worked and lived closely with fellow artist Robert Rauschenberg through much of the 1950s, a creative and personal partnership that shaped both of their early careers, though Johns has generally kept details of it private.