The Meaning of “Flag” by Jasper Johns
In the mid-20th century, at a time when Abstract Expressionism dominated American art with explosive emotions and energetic brushstrokes, a young artist named Jasper Johns quietly unfurled a painting that would change the course of modern art. The painting? A simple yet bold rendering of the American flag. But behind this seemingly straightforward image was a complex meditation on meaning, perception, and identity, one that would resonate across generations and cement Johns’ place as a transformative figure in contemporary art.
This is the story of “Flag” (1954–55), one of the most iconic and enigmatic artworks of the 20th century.
Who is Jasper Johns?
To understand the significance of Flag, one must first understand the mind behind it.
Jasper Johns was born on May 15, 1930, in Augusta, Georgia, and raised in South Carolina. He was an introspective child, always drawing, always observing. After studying briefly at the University of South Carolina, Johns moved to New York City, where his career would quietly take root. In New York, he developed a close relationship with fellow artist Robert Rauschenberg, and the two would become key figures in a transition from Abstract Expressionism to the American movements that followed: Neo-Dada, Pop Art, and Conceptual Art.
Johns’ work stood in stark contrast to the emotionally charged canvases of Jackson Pollock or Willem de Kooning. Instead of wild gestures, Johns brought to the canvas a new kind of rigor and thoughtfulness. His subjects were common, often overlooked objects: flags, numbers, targets, maps. But it was precisely this ordinariness that Johns used to challenge the viewer’s assumptions.
The Creation of “Flag”
In 1954, Jasper Johns had a dream, a literal dream, in which he saw himself painting an American flag. The next day, he began to make that dream a reality.
The first Flag painting, completed in 1955, is a 42 x 60-inch composition of oil paint, hot wax (encaustic), and collage on fabric mounted on plywood. At first glance, it looks like a faithful rendering of the Stars and Stripes. But a closer inspection reveals layers upon layers of paper, newspaper clippings, drawings, and text, embedded beneath the waxy surface, giving the piece a rich texture and a ghostly sense of history.
What Johns painted was not just a flag, it was an image of a flag. This distinction is key to understanding its meaning.
What Is the Meaning of “Flag”?
On the surface, Flag is exactly what it appears to be: a depiction of the American flag. But ask yourself: Is this an actual flag, or is it a painting of a flag?
This question lies at the heart of Johns’ artistic inquiry. He once explained:
“Things the mind already knows. That gave me room to work on other levels.”
In other words, by choosing a universally recognized symbol, Johns could shift the viewer’s attention away from subject matter and toward deeper questions:
What makes something a painting?
How do we perceive symbols?
What is the boundary between art and object, representation and reality?
Johns’ flag is not meant to be patriotic or political in the conventional sense. Instead, it serves as a mirror, a reflection of the viewer’s own interpretations, beliefs, and cultural assumptions. The flag, after all, is a loaded symbol. For some, it represents freedom; for others, oppression. By presenting the flag in a neutral, almost clinical manner, Johns forces the viewer to confront their own meanings.
The use of encaustic, an ancient painting technique involving pigmented wax, adds another layer of complexity. It freezes brushstrokes in time, creating a sense of permanence. The embedded newspaper scraps hint at the socio-political context of the time, subtly referencing the world outside the frame while remaining visually subdued.
Johns was also interested in semiotics, the study of signs and symbols. By choosing the flag, a sign with deep-rooted meaning, he was engaging in a dialogue about language, symbolism, and how we assign value to images.
When Flag first appeared publicly, it was shocking, not for its content, but for its implications. At a time when Abstract Expressionists were painting raw emotion, Johns offered an image so familiar, it seemed almost banal. Yet it was this very banality that made it revolutionary.
Art critic Robert Hughes later wrote:
“Johns’ flag did not float in the breeze of national pride. It hung in the still air of doubt.”
The year Flag was completed, the United States was in the throes of the Cold War. The nation was also grappling with the early rumblings of the Civil Rights Movement. In this context, the American flag was a contested symbol. Johns’ painting refused to take a side. It presented the symbol, stripped of sentiment, and asked the viewer to reckon with it.
Over the years, Flag has been interpreted in countless ways: as a critique of nationalism, a celebration of American identity, a meditation on form, or a simple act of visual trickery. Perhaps its greatest power lies in its ambiguity, in its refusal to mean just one thing.
Where Is “Flag” by Jasper Johns Today?
The original Flag (1954–55) resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. It was acquired in 1998 as part of the legendary Gilman Paper Company Collection, which included several important works of modern and contemporary art.
MoMA’s acquisition of Flag was considered a major event in the art world. The painting now holds a prominent position within the museum’s galleries, often exhibited alongside works by Johns’ contemporaries such as Rauschenberg, Cy Twombly, and Andy Warhol.
In addition to the original Flag, Johns created numerous variations over the years, exploring different materials, color palettes, and sizes. Some are housed in other major institutions, including:
The Whitney Museum of American Art
The Art Institute of Chicago
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Each iteration adds new dimensions to the conversation, but the 1954–55 version remains the definitive statement.
How Much Is Jasper Johns’ “Flag” Worth?
While it’s nearly impossible to assign a market value to a work held in a museum collection (MoMA’s Flag will likely never be sold), other versions of Johns’ Flag have fetched staggering sums at auction.
In 2010, a small encaustic-on-canvas version of Flag from 1983 sold for $28.6 million at Christie’s. Another work by Johns, Flag (1958), reportedly sold privately for over $110 million in 2010, making it one of the most expensive artworks by a living artist at the time.
The high value of Johns’ flag paintings can be attributed to several factors:
Historical significance: Johns’ Flag is considered a cornerstone of postwar American art.
Scarcity: While he made multiple versions, authentic early works are extremely rare.
Critical acclaim: The art world reveres Johns as a pivotal figure bridging abstraction, symbolism, and conceptual art.
Cultural resonance: The image of the American flag carries weight in any context, and Johns’ use of it elevates it to fine art.
Today, Flag is not just a painting, it is a cultural artifact, a philosophical inquiry, and a commercial powerhouse.
Legacy and Influence
Jasper Johns’ Flag changed how artists and audiences think about art. It paved the way for Pop Art, influencing artists like Andy Warhol, who also used common symbols and mass media imagery to question consumer culture. It also opened the door to Conceptual Art, where the idea behind a work became as important as its execution.
Johns’ influence is far-reaching, touching artists across generations, from Barbara Kruger to Glenn Ligon, and even contemporary creatives working with political symbolism today.
Yet Flag remains singular in its impact. It manages to be both timeless and timely, echoing through eras of protest, patriotism, and polarization. It does what great art should do: ask questions.
What does the American flag mean?
For some, it’s a symbol of unity, of sacrifice, of hope. For others, it represents broken promises and unfulfilled ideals. Jasper Johns did not give us an answer, he gave us the question, painted in red, white, and blue.
More than just a painting, Flag is a mirror, reflecting back at us not only a national symbol but our personal and collective relationships with it. It challenges the idea of what art can be. It dares to be simple, and in doing so, becomes infinitely complex.
Today, in the galleries of MoMA, as visitors file past this waxy, layered, iconic image, many pause. They look. They reflect. They interpret. And that, perhaps, is exactly what Johns intended.
If you’re ever in New York, stand in front of Flag. Don’t just look, see. Ask yourself: What does this mean to me? In that moment, you’ll be participating in one of the greatest artistic conversations of the last century, one that started with a dream, a brush, and a flag. image/wikipedia
