Figure 7

Figure 7 by Jasper Johns; Charles Ritt; Richard Wilke; Gemini G.E.L. is a sophisticated American color lithograph created in 1969. This print was executed on high-quality Arjomari wove paper, showcasing the technical mastery achieved during this crucial period of collaboration between artists and workshops. The project involved Johns, one of the foremost American artists of the mid-century, working closely with master printers Ritt and Wilke under the auspices of the influential Los Angeles print workshop, G.E.L.

The piece belongs to Johns’s sustained investigation into common, highly recognizable sign systems. By focusing on mundane, two-dimensional symbols like targets and numbers, the artist forced viewers to confront the difference between a symbol and its flat representation. Utilizing the unique properties of the lithograph process, Johns explored texture, layering, and complex color relationships, transforming a simple numerical figure into a field of artistic experimentation.

Created deep within the pivotal Post-War era, the work falls stylistically within the American period defined as 1951 to 1975, a time when artists redefined the status of traditional media, elevating printmaking to the status of painting. The print reveals the characteristic density and overlaid markings often found in Johns’s oeuvre, translating his drawing and painting techniques into the print medium. The quality and historical significance of this specific print attest to the major investment G.E.L. made in advancing technical standards. This significant example of Figure 7 is held within the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art, offering scholars an important reference point for studying the development of postwar American art. Works such as these collaborative prints are frequently studied, and many similar pieces are becoming available within the public domain, ensuring widespread accessibility for research.