Working with Kenneth Tyler at the print workshop Gemini G.E.L., Jasper Johns experimented with embossing techniques, producing this unusual series of lead reliefs. To create them, Johns first made models formed of wax and plaster. He cast them in aluminum and plastic, over which thin sheets of lead were molded, using a hydraulic embossing press. The sheets were then mounted on polystyrene, and the surface of each was specially cleaned to permit natural oxidation to take place over time. These reliefs are reexaminations of symbols the artist had previously investigated, including such favorite subjects as the flag.

Walker solo exhibition: Jasper Johns: Printed Symbols, 1980