Color Numeral Series Ulae 59 68 (1969)

Jasper Johns’ Numeral Series: Where Printmaking Meets Conceptual Rigor

Few works in Jasper Johns’ oeuvre distill his fascination with repetition and variation as sharply as Color Numeral Series Ulae 59 68. Created in 1969 at the height of his collaboration with master printer Kenneth Tyler at ULAE (Universal Limited Art Editions), this lithograph belongs to a body of work where Johns treated numerals not as symbols of quantity but as visual forms ripe for exploration. The piece emerged during a period when Johns was systematically dismantling the boundaries between painting and printmaking, using the latter’s technical constraints—ink viscosity, plate pressure, paper texture—as active components of the composition.

Unlike his earlier flag and target motifs, which carried overt cultural weight, the numeral series stripped meaning back to pure graphic interaction. Here, the numbers 5, 9, 6, and 8 are rendered in bold, almost sculptural strokes, their overlapping layers creating a tactile surface that belies the print’s two-dimensional nature. As the Museum of Modern Art notes in its analysis of Johns’ printmaking techniques, his work at ULAE “redefined lithography as a medium capable of complexity previously reserved for painting” (moma.org). This piece exemplifies that shift: the numerals float against a muted ground, their edges softened by the lithographic process, yet their presence remains unmistakably physical.

Johns at ULAE: A Decade of Printmaking Innovation

The late 1960s marked Jasper Johns’ deepest engagement with printmaking, a medium he approached with the same methodological intensity as his paintings. His collaboration with Kenneth Tyler at ULAE—spanning from 1960 to 1971—produced some of the most technically ambitious prints of the 20th century. Unlike many artists who delegated print production, Johns immersed himself in the process, treating the lithographic stone and etching plate as extensions of his studio practice. The numeral series, including this 1969 work, emerged from experiments in which Johns exploited the medium’s capacity for layering, often printing and reprinting the same plate to build density.

What distinguishes Color Numeral Series Ulae 59 68 is its refusal to resolve into a single focal point. The numerals neither advance nor recede; they exist in a state of suspended animation, their relationships defined by proximity rather than hierarchy.

This period also saw Johns working in deliberate dialogue with his contemporaries. While Warhol was silkscreening celebrity icons and Rauschenberg collaging found imagery, Johns focused on the most neutral of subjects—numbers—to explore perception itself. The Smithsonian American Art Museum’s retrospective on Johns’ prints highlights how these works “challenge the viewer to reconcile the tension between the familiar (numerals) and the abstract (their treatment)” (americanart.si.edu). In this piece, the overlapping 6 and 8 create a moiré-like interference, forcing the eye to oscillate between reading the numbers and experiencing them as pure form.

The Lithographer’s Touch: How This Print Was Made

Layered Ink and Ghosted Forms

The tactile quality of Color Numeral Series Ulae 59 68 stems from Johns’ use of multiple lithographic stones, each carrying a different color and numeral. Rather than printing each layer opaquely, he allowed the inks to mix optically, creating secondary hues where they overlapped. The result is a surface that appears to vibrate: the greenish cast where blue and yellow intersect, or the muddied brown where red bleeds into black. This was not accidental; Johns meticulously adjusted ink consistency and pressure to achieve these effects, treating the print as a record of its own making.

Composition as Process

Johns’ placement of the numerals defies conventional balance. The 5 and 9 anchor the left side, while the 6 and 8 cluster toward the right, their asymmetry reinforced by the uneven ink saturation. The white ground—actually a thin wash of gray—serves as an active layer rather than passive background, its texture visible in the lighter areas. This attention to the “unprinted” space reflects Johns’ broader interest in what he called “the space between things,” a concept he explored in both his paintings and prints during this era.

Styling Color Numeral Series Ulae 59 68: A Guide to Placement

This print’s restrained palette—earthy ochres, muted blues, and graphite grays—makes it remarkably versatile. In a modern interior, its 30×40 cm dimensions (12×16 inches) allow it to command attention without overwhelming the space. Consider hanging it above a console table in an entryway, where its numerical motifs can subtly echo the order of daily rituals. For a more dramatic effect, pair it with deep charcoal walls; the contrast will accentuate the lithographic textures. Alternatively, in a room with warm wood tones, the print’s terracotta and umber notes will harmonize with natural materials.

Avoid overly busy surroundings. Johns’ work thrives in dialogue with negative space, so allow at least 12 inches of clearance around the frame. If grouping with other artworks, opt for pieces with similar geometric rigor—perhaps a small Agnes Martin etching or a Sol LeWitt line drawing—to create a cohesive modernist arrangement.

More Works by Jasper Johns

Explore other iconic prints from Johns’ prolific career, each framed with the same precision as Color Numeral Series Ulae 59 68.

Jasper Johns

Flag On Orange Field

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Jasper Johns

White Target

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Jasper Johns

Untitled Ulae S13

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Jasper Johns

Scott Fagan Record

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