Howard David Johnson
Encyclopedia
Howard David Johnson is an American photorealist Illustrator and Painter. Though he paints in a realistic vein, contemporary artist Howard David Johnson creates a world of folklore and mythical characters. Born in Munch
, Germany
, and the son of an American Air Force officer, he was highly influenced by the art and culture that he was exposed to while traveling in the Mediterranean and Central Europe. His paintings of religious, mythical and historical subjects reflect his passion for the vivid imagery and preponderance of detail in Pre-Raphaelite
art.
Johnson has done illustrations for books, magazines, games, motion pictures, television programs and computer software for The National Geographic Society
, The University of Cambridge
and The University of Texas, Adobe Photoshop
, PBS television
, Doubleday, Universal Studios
and Paramount Studios
among others. His illustrations for books like "Fairies 101" have appeared in every major bookstore in America and his works have been published in textbooks and appeared in libraries worldwide.
Johnson's major subjects are Greek
, Celtic
, and Norse
mythology, plus Arthurian legends and elements of other mythologies. In addition, David has extensive articles on his technique and some of his subject matter on his website.
An outspoken proponent of mechanical aids to visual art such as photography, tracing, projection, and computers, Johnson considers his art to be a modern-day offshoot of the old Brandywine School
style started by Howard Pyle
. In addition to his mastery of the traditional media, now combines drawing, painting, photography, and digital media with more than thirty years of experience in these fields to create his Realistic Art
.
Johnson has a background in the natural sciences and history. He works in a wide variety of media ranging from traditional oils, pastels and others to cutting edge digital media. He began his life as an artist as a boy in 1960. At first he used Xeroxes and tracings to make his preliminary photo-collages. Beginning with a tracing, he now draws or paints from original computer photomontages. As a commercial illustrator Johnson has not only used the computer to create fantasy art but has been involved in the development and advertising of computer imaging software for Adobe Photoshop. His traditional art was exhibited in the British Museum in London England in 1996. His digital work has also been displayed in numerous other museums since such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
He founded the Brandywine School of Illustrative Art in 1996 because many 20th century realistic artists were trained in an educational system which he believed was "openly hostile or dismissive to Classical realistic painting and art tradition and were only taught the tenets of Abstraction and Expressionism." At the time of this writing in 2009 he and his staff have trained more than 1,000 students in realistic art techniques in nearly every known medium from traditional oil painting to Adobe Photoshop Software. The school offers beginning, intermediate, advanced and master level instruction in drawing, painting, photography and digital illustration.
Munch
Munch may refer to:* Edvard Munch , a Norwegian expressionist painter and printmaker best known for his work The Scream** Edvard Munch , 1973 biographical film written and directed by Peter Watkins...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and the son of an American Air Force officer, he was highly influenced by the art and culture that he was exposed to while traveling in the Mediterranean and Central Europe. His paintings of religious, mythical and historical subjects reflect his passion for the vivid imagery and preponderance of detail in Pre-Raphaelite
Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood
The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood was a group of English painters, poets, and critics, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt, John Everett Millais and Dante Gabriel Rossetti...
art.
Johnson has done illustrations for books, magazines, games, motion pictures, television programs and computer software for The National Geographic Society
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society , headquartered in Washington, D.C. in the United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational institutions in the world. Its interests include geography, archaeology and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical...
, The University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
and The University of Texas, Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Photoshop is a graphics editing program developed and published by Adobe Systems Incorporated.Adobe's 2003 "Creative Suite" rebranding led to Adobe Photoshop 8's renaming to Adobe Photoshop CS. Thus, Adobe Photoshop CS5 is the 12th major release of Adobe Photoshop...
, PBS television
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, Doubleday, Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
and Paramount Studios
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
among others. His illustrations for books like "Fairies 101" have appeared in every major bookstore in America and his works have been published in textbooks and appeared in libraries worldwide.
Johnson's major subjects are Greek
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths and legends belonging to the ancient Greeks, concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world, and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. They were a part of religion in ancient Greece...
, Celtic
Celtic mythology
Celtic mythology is the mythology of Celtic polytheism, apparently the religion of the Iron Age Celts. Like other Iron Age Europeans, the early Celts maintained a polytheistic mythology and religious structure...
, and Norse
Norse mythology
Norse mythology, a subset of Germanic mythology, is the overall term for the myths, legends and beliefs about supernatural beings of Norse pagans. It flourished prior to the Christianization of Scandinavia, during the Early Middle Ages, and passed into Nordic folklore, with some aspects surviving...
mythology, plus Arthurian legends and elements of other mythologies. In addition, David has extensive articles on his technique and some of his subject matter on his website.
[Johnson’s artworks] show a seamless integration of styles and a fully developed awareness of depth and proportion and lighting. You can tell that he's still using the same combination of traditional techniques and photorealism, but the two styles have met in the middle, creating works which are realistic but clearly original and stylistically coherent. Many of these are just magnificent, such as Queen Cinderella ... [and] Valkyrie Maiden ... with subtle shading and use of light and a kind of altered realism which is very effective at making the fantastical seem real.
An outspoken proponent of mechanical aids to visual art such as photography, tracing, projection, and computers, Johnson considers his art to be a modern-day offshoot of the old Brandywine School
Brandywine School
The Brandywine School was a style of illustration and an artists colony in Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, near Brandywine Creek, founded by artist Howard Pyle at the end of the 19th century...
style started by Howard Pyle
Howard Pyle
Howard Pyle was an American illustrator and author, primarily of books for young people. A native of Wilmington, Delaware, he spent the last year of his life in Florence, Italy.__FORCETOC__...
. In addition to his mastery of the traditional media, now combines drawing, painting, photography, and digital media with more than thirty years of experience in these fields to create his Realistic Art
Realism (arts)
Realism in the visual arts and literature refers to the general attempt to depict subjects "in accordance with secular, empirical rules", as they are considered to exist in third person objective reality, without embellishment or interpretation...
.
Johnson has a background in the natural sciences and history. He works in a wide variety of media ranging from traditional oils, pastels and others to cutting edge digital media. He began his life as an artist as a boy in 1960. At first he used Xeroxes and tracings to make his preliminary photo-collages. Beginning with a tracing, he now draws or paints from original computer photomontages. As a commercial illustrator Johnson has not only used the computer to create fantasy art but has been involved in the development and advertising of computer imaging software for Adobe Photoshop. His traditional art was exhibited in the British Museum in London England in 1996. His digital work has also been displayed in numerous other museums since such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
He founded the Brandywine School of Illustrative Art in 1996 because many 20th century realistic artists were trained in an educational system which he believed was "openly hostile or dismissive to Classical realistic painting and art tradition and were only taught the tenets of Abstraction and Expressionism." At the time of this writing in 2009 he and his staff have trained more than 1,000 students in realistic art techniques in nearly every known medium from traditional oil painting to Adobe Photoshop Software. The school offers beginning, intermediate, advanced and master level instruction in drawing, painting, photography and digital illustration.