Jasper Johns. Watchman, 1964. Oil on canvas with objects. 85 × 60.25 in.

The watchman falls “into” the “trap” of looking. The “spy” is a different person. “Looking” is and is not “eating” and “being eaten.” (Cézanne?—each object reflecting each other.) That is, there is a continuity of some sort among the watchman, the space, the objects. The spy must be ready to “move,” must be aware of his entrances and exits. The watchman leaves his job & takes away no information. The spy must remember and must remember himself and his remembering. The spy designs himself to be overlooked. The watchman “serves” as a warning. Will the spy and the watchman ever meet? In a painting named SPY, will he be present? The spy stations himself to observe the watchman. If the spy is a foreign object, why is the eye not irritated? Is he invisible? When the spy irritates, we try to remove him. “Not spying, just looking”—WATCHMAN