Product Details

• Actors: John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Jasper Johns
• Directors: Rick Tejada-Flores
• Producers: Rick Tejada-Flores
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Homevision
• VHS Release Date: June 13, 2000
• Run Time: 56 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 1.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302996015
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #375,601 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Jasper Johns made history when his painting "White Flag" sold for $7 million in 1988. The next day he broke his own record when a second painting sold for $17 million. But this 56-minute 1989 PBS documentary makes it clear that Johns's work is not about commerce; it's about the expression of his brand of intellectualism. A series of art critics (including one who despises Johns's brand of pop art), curators, and good friends (choreographer Merce Cunningham and composer John Cage) mull over the beginnings of his career and his place in the art world. Johns himself speaks at length about his influences and his method against the backdrop of footage showing him at work in various media: etching, lithography, and painting. Little personal information is included; a cousin reminisces briefly about their shared childhood during a quick trip to his South Carolina hometown. The most personal touch is when his buddy Cage reads some of his writings about art as if they were poetry. And some could no doubt argue that they are. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Product Description

American Masters takes a rare look at the life, work, and inspiration of artist Jasper Johns. Johns emerged as the preeminent force on the American art scene when he was only in his late 20s. His rich images of maps, flags, and targets led the artistic community away from Abstract Expressionism toward a new emphasis on the nonabstract, laying the groundwork for both Pop Art and Minimalism.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing Expose On A 20th Century American Artist, April 21, 2004

By 

allismile0 "allismile0" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Jasper Johns - Ideas in Paint (DVD)

"Jasper Johns, Ideas In Paint" is a poorly executed documentary. It's not entirely clear what the premise is about even though the title would lead you to believe it's about his art process and all that goes with that. Johns was one of the most influential artists of the second half of the 20th century; along with artist like Robert Rauschenberg, Johns made art that was irreverent to the abstract expressionist and iconoclastic to the two dimensional painting/three dimensional sculpture way of thinking.
What this documentary tends to focus on too much of is his relationships with other "famous artists" and contemplating the prices of his art (one piece sold for $17 million at auction). It seems like the makers of this documentary weren't too sure themselves if Johns is a great artist or if his art is simply a phenomena of commerce.
Throughout the interviews the debate on his skills and popularity always seems to come up; when those questions aren't coming up it becomes clear that the people that do admire his work in this video seem to be living in their own bubble of pretensions and are not really tapped into reality. Johns himself doesn't seem to be all that comfortable in front of the camera and the things he say are quite cold and uninspired. They do use footage from an excellent documentary called "Painter's Painting" (which I very highly recommend) where Johns is much more relaxed and seems to be more clear on what he has to say; but that doesn't save this video from being two steps away from completely dismissible.
This documentary does three things that I think are inexcusable; it does a poor job at focusing on his career and shifts he made as an artist; it focus's on the commerce of his art (which explains/justifies nothing about the artist); and it only taps the surface of what the documentary is supposedly about- Ideas in Paint!!
It's unfortunate that a better video could not have been made about this artist. He has made some very fascinating works that deserve consideration and not debate. There are moments of interesting insight but not worth paying $24.00, I recommend a pass on this one. This video could have been called "Jasper Johns: $17 Million Says A Lot!"

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars definitely not a great artist, October 4, 2010

By 

R. Johnson "Billionaire" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Jasper Johns - Ideas in Paint [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Why Jasper Johns' trash is worth millions on the market is a mystery, but one thing I'm sure of is that not only is he not a great artist, he's not an artist at all. His trash doesn't display the slightest bit of artistic talent and it doesn't even display much effort. The modern "art" world is a spiteful, hateful mockery of art. It is anti-art. Apparently the idea is to take the worst trash and promote it as the greatest and most valuable "art" as some kind of sick joke on society.