Hanafuda/Jasper/Johns1981

The film documents the complex printmaking process which Johns has developed and the ongoing relation of one Johns print to the next. The soundtrack is an interview with Johns talking about printmaking and his art, along with sounds from the shop. The film has a less concrete side. The filmmaker too is a character who, by watching the masters work, is looking for answers to questions about art. How is art thought of and how is it made? What is its relation to craft on the one hand and ideas on the other? HANAFUDA/JASPER JOHNS is not only a document of a specific event, but also, a portrait of four men and a meditation on art. –K. M.