Untitled

In this composition, Johns employed a string hung from two points along the left and right vertical axes. This invention is known as a catenary curve and is used in the design of suspension bridges. Johns was not aware of this when he first employed the string; his interest was in creating a form achieved as the direct result of gravity. Johns took special care in rendering with watercolor the illusionistic, thin boards from which the string hangs, even setting them so that they appear to open and close on the picture plane. He further emphasized the plastic dimension of his construction by brushing a dark border of black ink and acrylic paint around the core image. This startling effect recalls the dramatic use of light by such Baroque artists as Francisco de Zurbarán.