0-9 (Black)

In 1960, Johns received a lithographic stone from the publisher Tatyana Grosman who hoped to entice him to make prints at Universal Limited Art Editions (ULAE), her publishing company. Johns, new to the medium, drew a "zero" on the stone, as it was symmetrical, easy to make, and did not require that the image be drawn in reverse. He later added the frieze of numbers above the larger figure, a decision that inspired the series 0-9, one of the most technically challenging works made in recent lithography. Because he printed the lithographs on the same stone, reworking them for each large numeral, elements from previously printed numbers remain faintly visible throughout the progression. The stenciled form and the predetermined order found in both the frieze and the large numbers create a sense of continuity within the series, yet Johns also endowed each large number with distinct visual qualities to distinguish each form and counter the banality associated with the subject matter and the stenciled letters. By rendering numbers as abstract symbols, even arrangements of color and form, Johns challenged the more functional associations evoked by them and, by connection, systems of knowledge.