The story of her history with Johns, as it turns out, sheds much light on the genesis of his painting and the role that a random encounter with a person can play in the creation of a work of art.ĭr. Geller, an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., and the recipient of a MacArthur fellowship, known as the “genius grant.” She’s recognized as a pioneer in mapping the universe. Without elaborating he mentioned a name that was new to me: Margaret Geller.Ī few days later I reached Dr. When I first saw it in July in the artist’s barn in Sharon, Conn., I was riveted and asked him to help me decode it. 29 at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, “Slice” is a large, horizontal and predominantly black oil painting that combines unrelated images of a map of outer space and a human knee.
Likely to be a standout of his upcoming show, “Jasper Johns: Mind/Mirror,” a two-venue retrospective opening Sept. During the solitary months of the pandemic, he completed a painting titled “Slice,” and a group of related drawings and prints. At 91, Jasper Johns is turning out impressive and touchingly personal work.
