Perilous Night by Jasper Johns

Perilous Night detail by Jasper Johns
Jasper Johns, Perilous Night (detail of handkerchief), 1982, encaustic on canvas with objects, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Robert and Jane Meyerhoff Collection 1995.79.1

Weeping Woman by Pablo Picasso
Pablo Picasso, La femme qui pleure (6 eme Etat) (Weeping Woman, sixth state), 1938, etching, aquatint, and drypoint on copper, Musée Picasso, Paris, © Succession Picasso, photograph by Béatrice Hatala

A handkerchief is "pinned" to the wall with a trompe l'oeil nail. What does it suggest? Johns adapted this motif from a Picasso etching of a weeping woman—an image of protest against the Spanish Civil War and its death toll. Without knowing its source, the handkerchief might appear neutral or even cartoonish. But in context, it suggests sadness and grief.

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