A target with four faces

Mediums: paper, encaustic, gypsum, canvas, wood.
Location: The Museum of Modern Art, New York, the USA.

In this painting, the artist combined the sculptural elements with a picture on canvas. Johns used scraps of thin paper coated with coloured wax to create an unusual surface structure to depict the target. In the middle plane of the composition, the author placed four casts of a female face, with only its lower part. The upper part of the head is covered with a wooden panel on hinges, creating a certain intrigue. Many people perceive the human faces, whose eyes are not visible, as living targets; the mood of the picture is often interpreted as alarming.