HYPERALLERGIC
By Mark Sheerin
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| Studio view with painting of Alhambra (all photos by the author unless otherwise noted) |
UNITED KINGDOM---Regarding the use of photographs in painting, it’s no shortcut, at least not in the work of Ben Johnson. There can be few painters with as much endurance and commitment to an image — with camera, computer, stencils, and spray gun, he breaks the most abiding rules of art school. One result of this rebellion is his cityscape of Merseyside, on permanent display at the Museum of Liverpool. It took 3,000 photographs, 25,000 stencils and, with the help of a sizeable team, three years of long days and long weeks to bring to fruition. But despite the method and the precision, the artist says he sets out to make a painting “peaceful” rather than “perfect.” (“You can’t use that word, it’s too terrifying.”)[
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| Ben Johnson (courtesy the artist) |
