‘Jasper Johns’ provides a traditional museum experience

Fresh off the heels of the insanely popular Yayoi Kusama exhibit Infinity Mirrors, The Broad recently presented its new special exhibition Jasper Johns: Something Resembling Truth on Feb. 10.

At 87, Jasper Johns is one of contemporary art’s most iconic and influential living artists. The exhibit showcases different periods of his prolific career, which spans an impressive six decades.

The exhibit begins with a room replete with recurring flag and target motifs. His most recognizable work, “Three Flags,” which stacks three star-spangled banners on top of each other, hangs here. Subsequent galleries chronicle Johns’ exploration of various media and methods, neatly partitioning his different periods of experimentation. “Corpse and Mirror” and “Between the Clock and the Bed” detail forceful cross hatching in bold primary colors; “Figure 7” and “0 Through 9” document his fascination with numbers; “Painted Bronze” and “Savarin” are meta depictions of his own paintbrushes and palette knives; “Bridge” and “Catenary (I Call to the Grave)” display lengths of string stretched across muted canvases.

Seeking to break from the staid seriousness of abstract expressionists, Johns tends toward playfulness, often poking fun at the movement, its renowned artists and even himself. Yet even as he critiques the conventions of abstract expressionism, his parody nevertheless necessitates engagement in its forms and styles. His forays into pop art retain an air of solemn gravity, augmented by his own eminence. Viewing Something Resembling Truth, one gets the sense of swallowing a spoonful of medicine; it’s not fun, but ultimately, it’s good for you.

To be fair, any installation succeeding Infinity Mirrors would have a hard time filling Kusama’s enormous shoes. Something Resembling Truth does its best to keep up, but the massive media maelstrom that Kusama’s art generated ensured that anything even a hint more sedate and traditional would seem like a bit of a letdown. It doesn’t help that Johns’ art doesn’t lend itself well to breeding online hype; his formless shapes and liberal use of grays and beiges aren’t quite as flashy and Instagram-friendly as thousands of twinkling lights.

In terms of accessibility, Kusama is a county fair and Johns is a country club. Something Resembling Truth will delight art critics and historians who are familiar with his significance and influence on the development of modern art. But it will delight no one else.

In a way, the Johns and Kusama exhibitions represent the two opposite persuasions that inform the museum-going experience. Should museums and other cultural institutions cater to the general audience, which treats them as selfie breeding grounds but supply much-needed publicity, or should they provide an elevated encounter for “in the know” art world elites, who may be snobs but also be more appreciative? It is up to each individual to decide which experience they prefer.

Jasper Johns: Something Resembling Truth will continue at The Broad through May 13.