Jasper Johns

Encaustic, made by combining pigment with a binder of hot wax, is one of the oldest painting media. It was widely used in classical Greece. Of all contemporary artists working in the medium, no one has perfected its use more than Jasper Johns. Jasper began drawing at age three, but he says there was "no art" and he did not know what art meant so he had no meaning for what he was doing. He ended up in New York City in a school of design, then he was stationed in Japan during the Korean War. He cam back to meet his long term lover and was influenced greatly by the gay couple Merce Cunningham and John Cage.All together, they explored the contemporary art scene. In his piece Three Flags, shows encaustic painting at its finest.