Women
of Mythology; Warriors, Mothers & Virgins:
The Art of Howard David
Johnson
Realistic
Paintings and Photo Realistic Drawings of
legendary
beautiful women and
mythical goddesses
of
Classical,
(Greek & Roman) Celtic, Norse, and
Asian
Myths
and Legends. A celebration of women of
myth and legend by Contemporary American Illustrator
Howard David Johnson.Welcome! Please be patient while the images are
loading. Click the control key plus the + or -
keys to zoom in or out or fit the page match to your monitor's unique
settings.
Scroll down to find out about
Commissions, licensing and original art for
sale...
Warriors, mothers and
virgins;
The myths and religions of the
ancient world abound with divine and semi- divine females, often associated
with themes of virginity and sexuality, promiscuity and destruction.
"Athene,
goddess of Wisdom and Justice" (2008 oil on 20 x 16 canvas)
Terrifying battle goddesses were
invoked in times of conflict and presided over war, nature, animals,
healing and fertility. Mother goddesses were venerated and entreated in
prayer for the fertility of crops and livestock.
Many goddesses were associated with animal totems, such as birds, bears,
deer, snakes, wolves and many others.
Fantastic
feminine creatures such as the Gorgons and such noble goddesses as Athena,
protector of the Acropolis and legendary mortal women abounded in
these stories as well.
A striking characteristic of these pagan religions is the belief in
Animism, that all things are inhabited by spirits such as fairies.
Spirits were believed to surround mankind in all aspects of life and
death. This all pervading spiritual presence is a feature common to many
polytheistic religions;
Another
abiding belief is that these spirits are both male and female.
This concept of divine partnership is a prominent aspect in many
polytheistic religions from ancient times to this very day.
Although I don't myself believe in fairies or any of these gods or
goddesses, I'm sure you can tell by the art that I
do have an abiding love for our shared cultural heritage, am committed to
its preservation and deeply
respect the beliefs of others...
~ Howard David Johnson
Howard David
Johnson works in a wide variety of media * Oil
paintings * Acrylic Paintings * Prismacolor Paintings * Drawings * Chalk
& Oil Pastel Paintings * Photography * and last but not least: Digital
Artistry & Mixed Media * Because
of the use of photography in everything he does, even David's all-oil
paintings can be termed mixed media.*
Warriors, Mothers and Virgins;
"The Protector of the Forest" MMX
from Germanic Elven Folklore and "Atalanta" MMXtook a vow of virginity to Artemis
and grew up in the wilderness.
"Return with your shield or on it"
A Spartan Mother (MMX Mixed Media) and "Queen Mab, the Bringer of
Dreams" (MMVI Oil on Canvas).
"Valkyrie Maiden" (MMX version mixed media)
and The Coming of
Brünhilde, (MMVI Mixed Media) Odin's daughter and captain of the Valkyries
Left:
From Celtic Mythology: Brigit (AKA Saint Brigit) was
the Gaelic goddess of poetry which the Gaels deemed an immaterial, supersensual
form of flame. She was also considered the most important of the Dagda's
children. Above Right: "A Mermaid" MMVIII both rendered in mixed media
"Boudica's
Prayer to the Morrigu" MMX
(20X 16 oil on canvas.) and "Justitia, Roman goddess of
Justice" (MMX mixed media) AKA Lady Justice.
"The Oracle" MMVIII and "Daybreak" MMX
"Fairy Land" MMV and Kriemhilde's Revenge MMVIII
(both rendered in mixed media) Visit the Fairy Gallery for LOTS more fairy
art...
CLICK
ON THESE LINKS OR E-MAIL FOR THE JOHNSON GALLERIES' VARIOUS
BUSINESS SERVICES:
Scroll down to find out about
Commissions, licensing and original art for
sale...
Pandora, according
to Hesiod, was the first woman.
Pandora's Box;
After Prometheus had stolen fire from heaven and bestowed it upon mortals, Zeus
determined to counteract this blessing.
He commissioned
Hephaestus to fashion a woman out of the Earth and the gods all bestowed upon
her their choicest gifts, such as Aphrodite's beauty and powers of seduction.
Zeus gave her a jar, the so called "Pandora's Box" secretly containing all the
misery and evils of this world. She was forbidden nothing in this world save to
open this box.
Her curiosity proved too much for her and she opened it, freeing all manner
of evil spirits and negative energy. Hope alone remained at the bottom, the
lid having been shut down before she escaped. This story- like so many
others is paralleled in the myths and legends of cultures all over the
ancient world.
Apollo and Daphne;
One would think a god such as Apollo, endowed with all the charms of youth,
strength, grace, and beauty would find few to resist him. The amorous adventures
of Apollo were numerous and legendary, but several of these olympian goddesses,
oceanids, and nymphs such as Daphne were unwilling. Nor did all mortal women
submit to Apollo's desires, some sources hint his arrogance, unfaithfulness, and
cruelty made him impossible to love in spite of his obvious attributes. He tried
in vain to seduce Daphne, the nymph and daughter of the river Peneius, who was
as chaste as she was beautiful. When she refused to submit to Apollo, he
attempted to ravish her; but she fled. He over-took her and she already felt the
eager arms of the Sun god around her when she called upon the venerable Gaea to
aid her. Immediately the Earth gaped open. Daphne disappeared, and in her place
a Laurel Tree sprang from the ground. Apollo made it a plant sacred to him, and
the Laurel wreath worn about the head was a symbol of great honor in Ancient
Greece and Rome and is associated with great personal achievement to this day.
"Moon goddess Diana" 2008 16" x 12"
(Mixed media including colored pencils and acrylic)
CLICK
ON THESE LINKS OR E-MAIL FOR THE JOHNSON GALLERIES' VARIOUS
BUSINESS SERVICES:
Click on the Icons to
visit the
Educational Galleries of Realistic Art: Including Mythology of
Greece, Rome, Asia, The Celts, The Norsemen, and more...Fairy and Dragon legends, The King
Arthur Legends, The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, Paintings of Ancient Egypt and
Babylon, Ancient Mystic Religious texts, War and Civilization from the Ancient Spartans to
World War Two, The World's Great Religions, and Free Art Lessons.
A
portrait of the artist in his painting studio as he is today.
This September 2009
photo was taken by his youngest son Erich
Howard David Johnson is a contemporary visual artist and photographer with a
background in the natural sciences and history. H D Johnson, or David as he is called,
works in a wide variety of media ranging from traditional oils, pastels and others
to today's cutting edge digital media.
After a lifetime of drawing and painting, Johnson's
Traditional Realistic Art was exhibited in the British Museum in London in 1996, ( 3 years
before he got his first computer ) as well as numerous American ones since, such as the
Metropolitan Museum of Art. His illustrations have appeared in every major bookstore and
gameshop chain in America as well as magazines and educational texts around the
world.
Some of David's more prestigious
clients have included the
National Geographic Society, the University of Texas, the University of Cambridge in England,
Paramount Studios, PBS TV, Adobe Photoshop Auto FX, Doubleday, and the
History Book of the Month
Club,
Licenses to print his existing work are
available at surprisingly affordable prices. Realistic Oil Paintings, Colored pencils,
Pastels, Mixed media, and Digital art can also be commissioned for select projects -
Working in a variety of traditional and cutting edge digital media he
offers his customers a variety of options and more than thirty years
of experience.
As
an illustrator David has not only used the computer but has been involved
in the development and marketing of filter imaging software for Adobe Photoshop
[TM].On his existing works license offers start at only $149.00.
Oil Paintings, Colored pencils, Pastels, Mixed media, and Digital art
can also be commissioned for select projects.
This Art Gallery has
been honored by more than 25 million Unique Visitors
from the Four
Corners of the Earth:
Ingerii si arta sublim inspirata~
a film by Veveshakti
My
Friends from around the world thus far :
England, Canada, Scotland, Wales, Ireland,
Germany, France, Monaco, Andorra, Italy, The Vatican City State, Greece, Macedonia,
Cyprus, Turkey, Belgium, Denmark, The Faroe Islands, Greenland,
Yugoslavia, Macedonia, Croatia, The Czech Republic, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Luxembourg, Latvia, Estonia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Poland, Austria, Romania,
Spain, The Russian Federation, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Moldova,
Malta, Iceland, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Sweden, Portugal, Albania, Armenia, Georgia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Gibraltar, Israel, Palestinian Territories, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Algeria, Niger, Saudi Arabia, Oman, The United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Morocco,
Ethiopia, Eritrea, Liberia, The Republic of Congo,
Rwanda, Kenya, Angola, Ghana, The Ivory Coast, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Nigeria, Namibia, Uganda, Kenya, Eritrea, Tanzania, Botswana, Malawi, Senegal, Djibouti, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho, South Africa,
Viet Nam, Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong,
Macau, Mongolia, Mauritius, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar,
Macau, Malaysia, Taiwan, Nuie, New Zealand, Fiji, Cook Islands, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, American Samoa, Australia, Micronesia, Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, The Heard and McDonald Islands, The Philippines, Guam, Palau, Cocos Island, The Kingdom of Tonga, Malaysia, Brunei
Darussalem, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Chagos Islands, The Republic of Maldives, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Nepal, Indonesia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, Peru,
Aruba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Suriname, Guyana, Aruba, The Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Colombia, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, The Virgin Islands, The Netherlands Antilles, Panama, Saint Vincent & Grenadines, Grenada, Ecuador, Belize, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Bermuda, Cuba, Jamaica, Dominica, Haiti, Puerto Rico,
Cayman Islands, Anguilla, The Bahamas, Honduras, Mexico,
and my home, The Great Free State of Texas... [USA]
If your home is not listed here please
e-mail us and tell us where you're from..
info@howarddavidjohnson.com
Thank
you for Visiting the
Women
of Mythology art page...
Your business, letters, & links are
always welcome.
All images copyright
1993-2010 Howard David Johnson all rights reserved.
MANY PIECES OF
ORIGINAL ART ON PAPER LIKE THESE ARE AVAILABLE:
Many pieces
are currently available, mostly 11x14-13x16 inch Prismacolor Paintings
(like Helen of Troy) and pencil portraits (like Arriba #2) followed in
number by Acrylic, Prismacolor and pastel mixed media all on #400
Strathmore Bristol Board ranging from $700.00-$1400. 00 USD and Oil
Paintings on canvas ranging from $1999.00 - 10,000.00 USD. Pieces that have never been rendered in oil can be
commissioned in 16x20 inch size on canvas for 50% down and delivered in
under 90 days with signed certificates of authenticity aka legal documents
pledging never to render it in that size and media again to ensure premium
collectability and investment potential.
David can also do a completely new picture designed in digital media (for
more on this visit his digital media page) and when we approve the
photo-montage, he uses it as reference to render it in oil on canvas. No surprises. Existing
Artwork is shipped very well protected and go out to you immediately
via Fed Ex or USPS Express mail upon receipt of payment at our
expense. All new
creations cost a bit more depending on what is involved. All new
creations and rendering photo montages into art on paper are a LOT
of fun with e-mail attachments and digital cameras.
ORIGINAL OIL PAINTINGS ON CANVAS LIKE THIS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE:
Almost
all of Johnson's Mixed Media creations
(above left) displayed in this site are available to be rendered in oil on canvas like the
20x16 oil on canvas Faerie Guardians 2006 (above right). Each design will
only be rendered in oil once at this size and can be delivered in as
little as 90
days.
Sadly, much of the subtlety, vibrance, lustre and impact of an original oil
painting is lost when it is scanned and imported to digital media or even
printed by a master printer. Nothing can compare to an original oil painting
viewed in person in my opinion but the other painting media definitely look good
in print and have
their charms and distinct advantages as well.
VISIT POD PUBLISHING FOR 114
DIFFERENT POSTER SIZE REPRINTS
AND A VARIETY OF PAYMENT OPTIONS,
SIZES, PAPERS, AND PRICES
Thank You for Visiting the Women
of Mythology Art Gallery of Howard David Johnson...
Custom Illustration and Gorgeous
Quality High Resolution Printing Masters With Publishing Licenses!
for Commercial use
in
Books
Cards Posters Magazines CDs DVDs Videos & more are available at
reasonable rates.
COMMERCIAL SIZE 300
DPI PRINTING MASTER FILES ARE AVAILABLE FOR ALL HIS PAINTINGS,
DRAWINGS AND MONTAGES -
EXTRA SPACE FOR BOOK COVER SIZE AND FORMATTING AVAILABLE
E-MAIL
FOR COURTEOUS & SPEEDY SERVICE
info@howarddavidjohnson.com
Howard David
Johnson works
in a wide variety of media * Oil paintings * Acrylic Paintings * Prismacolor
Paintings * Drawings * Chalk & Oil Pastel Paintings * Photography * and
last but not least: Digital Artistry & Mixed Media * Because
of the use of photography in everything he does, even Johnson's all-oil
paintings can be termed mixed media.*
All paintings, pictures,
& text (c) 2010 Howard David Johnson All Rights Reserved
*****
ON SALE NOW from
BRANDYWINE PRESS!
These beautifully printed 11" x 8.5" 64 page hardcover and
trade paperback versions feature 48 full page interior plates in full color
starting at
only $14.99 USD. Less than the price of a single poster! Featuring Realistic Mythological and Fairy Art created in a style
inspired by Classic Illustrators by American Artist &
Photographer Howard David Johnson. And new for 2010 - our GIANT
sized 12
month Angel Art Calendar!
Click on the
covers to order the books from Lulu.com
ALSO: Click on the
CREDIT CARD logo below to
VISIT POD PUBLISHING FOR BEAUTIFUL
POSTER SIZE REPRINTS
AND A VARIETY OF PAYMENT OPTIONS,
SIZES, PAPERS, AND PRICES
STYLE and
TECHNIQUE
"Those who are enamoured of
practice without science are like a pilot who goes into a ship without rudder or compass
and never has any certainty where he is going. Practice should always be based upon a
sound knowledge of theory, of which perspective is the guide and gateway, and without it
nothing can be done well in any kind of painting."
Howard David Johnson is a
contemporary visual artist and photographer with 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 loves mixing media. This site features
examples of
his Realistic Art, including illustration, photography, experimentalism, and fine
art.
"Macaria" [ MMX] The Daughter of
Hades was goddess of blessed afterlife
The various galleries linked to by the icons
above show many examples of His Realistic Art, and are grouped by theme rather than media.
Since boyhood he has passionately copied the old
masters. Using a strategy employed by J.W. Waterhouse (The old master David
has imitated most) - his wistful and graceful models cannot be
underestimated in their contribution to the stunning beauty and the
potential for lasting appeal of his work.
To create his work, he usually starts with a thematic concept, then working in his Photography studio with live models. He then assembles a variety of elements which are realistic and
original. As a boy he dedicated his life to art in 1960. From 1965- 1999 he used xeroxes and tracings to make his preliminary photo montages. This is patterned after
the manner used by Maxfield Parrish and other 19th century notables. For this he offers no apology as many of
the greatest artists in history employed any and all means of technology at
their disposal such as Camera Obscura or even the evil manufactured tube
paints.
See his article below:
"On Art and Technology:
When Seeing is Not Believing" An essay dealing with mechanical
aids to visual art from Camera Obscura to Computers for more on this.
The digital montage is a natural evolution of
the preliminary photo collage David learned from great Realistic
illustrators like Maxfield
Parrish and Norman Rockwell.You'd think by now everything would have been
tried but it hasn't. Exploring new art mediums is just as exciting today,
just as full of freshness and newness as it ever been.
His favourite medium for professional work for many years was colored pencil because of the
high speed and low expense, and people began expressing difficulty in telling his colored
pencil drawing from photographs in the early 1980's. Lately he mostly
draws in colored pencil to relax and for personal works. Recently he has
come to prefer Oil on canvas and digital media because of the
respectability of oils and the flexibility and profitability of digital
media. As a commercial illustrator Johnson has
not only used the computer to create art but has been involved in the development of
computer imaging software for Adobe Photoshop. Working in a realistic style inspired by
classic illustrators David is deeply rooted and grounded in the Greco-Roman artistic
tradition, Feeling that with realistic art, the human form is the ultimate arena for
artistic expression. His lifelong dream came true when his Traditional Realistic Art was
exhibited in the British Museum in London England in 1996. Having
achieved international acclaim as a traditional visual artist he discovered digital media
(Art Numérica) in 1999. Because of his passion
for realistic art he elected to embrace it and joyfully be a part of this
historic era in the visual arts as a 21st century realistic visual artist. Since
1972 when he began his career as a scientific illustrator for the University of Texas he
has earned his living illustrating all kinds of books, magazines, CD covers, and all sorts
of games, greeting cards, calendars, portraits, tapestries, murals and the like with his contemporary
realistic art... David's Realistic Art has appeared in every major
bookstore chain in The United States and has been used in
educational texts and magazines all over the world.
*****
All
paintings, pictures, & text (c) 1993- 2010 Howard David Johnson All rights reserved
Thank You for Visiting the Women
of Mythology art page...
Personal Opinion Essays on Realistic Art
yesterday and today by the artist.
In addition to his mastery of
traditional media, Howard David Johnson now combines drawing, painting,
photography, and digital media with more than thirty years of experience in these fields
to create his Realistic Art Numérica in 21st century paintings and
pictures.
Did you know the Greek word
"Photography" means "Painting with Light"? Today with the advent of
computers it truly lives up to it's name. Due to developments in Art and Technology, a
broader definition of painting is needed than that which is found in common usage.
Announcing Art
Numérica-an exciting merger of traditional visual art and cutting edge
technology... a new art form for the twenty- first century... Art Numérica is not
limited to realistic art but also offers limitless horizons for everything from cartoons
to abstractions.
It is the most dramatic
development in the visual arts since the Renaissance. In the words of Al Jolson in the
movie world's first talking picture" You ain't seen nothin' yet!"
"THE
MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME..."
(A Brief essay
dealing with attitudes toward Traditional Realistic Paintings, Pastels, Colored Pencils
and Art Numérica )
"Painting, in art, the
action of laying colour on a surface, or the representation of objects by this means.
Considered one of the fine arts"
~Encyclopaedia Britannica.
"Painting. noun. 1.) The act
or employment of laying on colors or paints. 2.) The art of forming figures or objects in
colors on canvas or any other surface, or the art of representing to the eye by means of
figures and colors any object; the work of an illustrator or painter. 3.) A picture; a
likeness or resemblance in shape or colors. 4.) Colors laid on. 5.) Delineation that
raises a vivid image in the mind; as in word painting.
~ Webster's Unabridged Dictionary
of the English Language
Snobbism in the arts is nothing new. Some people will tell
you that oils are the only valid medium for realistic paintings. That Colored Pencil,
Digital, and other Realistic Painting and Drawing Media are not valid for
"real" art. Young artists, Don't let them bother you. Their forerunners used to
condemn Pastels before they gained acceptance and called them "crayons" when
Johann Alexander Thiele (1685-1752) invented them. Mercilessly disrespectful
art critics of the time could not stop the Experimentalists no matter how
viciously they
attacked and derided them. "Crayon-painting" as it was called in England was
practiced early on by persecuted pioneers in Switzerland and many other nations. What a
debt we owe to these master artists who refused to knuckle under to the pressure of those
short-sighted critics during those historic and experimental times. It took until 1870
with the founding of the "Societe` Des Pastellistes" in France that respect
came at last to these heroic & immortal visual artists.
In England the liberation of the Pastellists from slight regard and
undeserved disrespect came with the first exhibition of "The Pastel Society" at
the Grosvenor Gallery in 1880. Pastel Painters like Mary Cassat and others from
America and other nations forever silenced the snobs with their masterworks and
gained recognition at long last for Thiele's invention as a valid art medium. I am
persuaded that history will repeat itself. Like Pastels, I believe these wonderful
new colored pencils and even Digital Realistic Art Media will one day
receive the
recognition they deserve as powerful mediums of artistic expression just as pastel
paintings did. What is your definition of art? Have you thought about it?
Mine is: "anything that
makes you feel or think."
Pastel, Acrylics, and Colored Pencils combined
The detail reveals Realistic
art and abstract art combined
Consider
dancing... it can be a little skip in the step or rise to the level of the incomparable
Russian Ballet. Did you know that just the materials alone for a single oil painting cost
up to a thousand dollars these days? Even paying the artist less than minimum wage no one
but the super rich can afford them anymore. Something's got to give. Realistic paintings
in oil have been highly prized for centuries and the appeal and following of realistic art
is undiminished to this day. Oil paintings featuring Abstract Art and Realistic Art are
generally the most treasured form of all the visual art media and with good reason. But
snobbish art critics favoring abstract art have declared that realistic
paintings, or illustrations are not art for a century. With so many
representationalist paintings by so many immortal master artists hanging in the
Louvre, the Hermitage, and the British Museum and others I think the disrespect for
realistic illustrators that dominated the 20th century is academically ridiculous as well
as vain and intolerant, insisting theirs is the only valid opinion. What is your
definition of Art? I believe almost any form of human expression can be raised to the
level of "high art" especially visual art and Realistic illustration...
By my own definition of art, which is: "anything that makes you feel or
think" most abstract paintings are not "real art" tome personally,
because abstract paintings usually neither make me feel or think, usually focusing
obsessively on technique and avoiding any coherent content. I usually draw a complete
blank mentally and emotionally when I look at them. In 1979 the Houston Metropolitan
Museum of Art displayed a triptych of 3 giant paintings they paid fifty thousand
dollars for- three blank white canvasses entitled "untitled". Then there
was "The incredible new artistic Genius" with an I.Q. of 62
...Congo the chimpanzee
with his gala New York art exhibition...an elaborate prank played on the Snobbish American
Art critics about a generation ago by research scientists in the field of primatology.
Imagine how upset they were when he created one of his "ingenious masterpieces"
right before their eyes.
( My Source for this is the Time Life
Science Library volume entitled "The Primates". )
Art education has been almost completely removed from American
Schools as a result of generations of this kind of fabulous nonsense contributing to
America's cultural illiteracy crisis. Now, the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, Michaelangelo,
and other notables are being removed from school libraries. After generations of
this, most American college graduates today cannot name even one living visual artist,
abstract or realistic.
There is no way that mandating
more math, requiring more reading, or scheduling more science will replace what we have
lost as a culture.
What is your definition of Art?
~HDJ
*****
Note:
Abstract Paintings by Congo the Chimpanzee outsold Warhol and Renoir
by over 25,000 dollars in June 2005 at a London art auction. Born in
1954, Congo created more than 400 drawings and paintings between the
ages of two and four. He died in 1964 of tuberculosis. There is no
precedent for this kind of sale.
The Rebirth of Realism
More thoughts on realistic art
yesterday and today by the artist
Art History
has entered a new era with the birth of Art Numérica, or
digital
art media in the 21st century. Artists never stop exploring with mediums. Artists have
been developing techniques, experimenting with different tools since at least twenty- five
thousand years ago, when the first artist picked up a charred stick and scratched a
picture out on the wall of his cave. You'd think everything would have been tried by now,
but it hasn't. Exploring new mediums this very day is just as exciting, just as full of
freshness and newness as it ever was.
The creation
of Realistic art has been the goal of most artists since the dawn of civilization.
Realistic art was the pride of ancient Greece. The world's greatest museums are full of
realistic art. Realistic art WAS art until the advent of the abstract expressionist
movement in the twentieth century. The coming of the camera in the nineteenth century
changed realistic art forever. Suddenly, realistic art was not the only way to create
realism in portraits and historical records. The work of the realistic artist was suddenly
made into an expensive luxury. The political power of the realistic artist was broken and
they were no longer an indispensable member of society. Hostility to the
creators of realistic art goes back to ancient times and the jealousy of advisers to the
Pharaohs and others who were not able to spend as much time with their rulers as their
portraitists. Although with the aid of photographs, realistic art achieved
levels of excellence undreamed of, the realistic art movement of the late nineteenth
century was short.
None of these people earning their living creating realistic art could
compete with the speed and low cost of photographic portraiture. Determined to
survive, great realistic artists like Pablo Picasso ingeniously turned inward and began to
explore things that could not be photographed in a new school of art, abstract
expressionism. The day of the fine art superstars had arrived. It was now largely just a
hobby to abstract and realistic artists alike. Illustration, because of advances in
printing technology enabled an elite few to earn a living with their realistic art. These
illustrators working in realistic art media were condemned and ridiculed in much the
same way Europe's great symphonic composers were condemned for working in motion pictures
after fleeing the nazis during World War Two. The rift between realistic and abstract art
grew wider and wider. The universities and key media usually sided with the abstract camp
and derided anyone working in any realistic art media declaring boldly that realistic art
was not "real" art.
Immortal giants of realistic art such as
Maxfield Parrish were mistreated their entire lives. They were accused of selling out for
creating beautiful pieces of realistic fine art to earn a living. The attitude that the
true artist must suffer and starve and die in poverty became a rule. There were the
Abstract art superstars, the professional realistic illustrators, and the hobbyists who,
although cut off from gainful employment and social influence still recognized their
artistic gifts as a calling rather than a profession. Early abstract art masters
proved themselves as realistic artists before delving into realms of the intangible. They
had to do this at that time to prove themselves because of the challenges they faced from
the establishment for going against the status quo. In the latter part of the 20th century,
realistic artists like HDJ were challenged to do abstract art to prove themselves as shown
in the example above (Deirdre of the sorrows). Later realistic art training was abandoned
in most schools and things like splattering paint in fits of rage were deemed more
than enough. By the end of the 20th century something as destructive and
ridiculous as
nailing a pack of cigarettes to a shoe was considered fine art but not realistic
paintings. Fashions in art have often been as silly as fashions in ladies hats. As
the century drew to a close, many people had had enough. The realistic revolt was at hand.
The rebirth of realism was fueled by the advent of the digital era. Now, for the first
time in almost two centuries, an artist or illustrator could earn a decent living again
with his realistic art. This is historic. Realistic art is not going to go away, especially now that photography has truly merged with traditional realistic visual art.
Photography comes from the Greek words meaning "painting with light". Now with
the advent of digital media the capability of realistic art has become almost limitless,
truly, "painting with light". The merger of all the world's art forms to realize
the potential of motion pictures has come now to still realistic art media. This website
for example, combines music, prose, poetry, photography and traditional realistic art
media to create an experience beyond merely looking at realistic paintings.
The twenty- first century is already seeing a
new renaissance in the arts because of the world wide web. There has never been anything
like it. Abstract art, computer art, photographic art, and realistic art are continuing to
be separate schools of art but are also blending to create exciting new horizons. Although
Digital art does offer completely new horizons to the artist in the 21st century it does
not mean the end of our time honored art traditions. Instead, it offers additional ways to
keep these traditions and schools of thought fresh and alive.
Art tradition
and etiquette suggest the artists who have been most influential should be mentioned
at exhibits; these original new pieces shown in this exhibit take their
inspiration in part from the paintings of Waterhouse, Alma-Tadema, Church,
Godward, Moreau, Bouguereau, Leighton, Ingres, Moore, Parrish, Rackham
and others. Most of my sources
are changed so much they are impossible to detect, but sometimes I make it
obvious to pay homage. Where
would Walt Disney be without the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson,
Victor Hugo and so many others? Where would Aaron Copeland have been without
American folk music? Thomas Nast's Santa Claus without traditional images of
Father Christmas? Picasso without African art? These are artists
who made names and fortunes through Public Domain appropriation, one and
all. Beethoven did "variations on a theme" with the works of
Mozart for the same reasons I have done mine with Waterhouse and others- to
learn and give homage to the artists who most inspired me.
Thank You for Visiting the Women
of Mythology Art Gallery of Howard David Johnson...
Music by Peter Ilyich
Tchaikovsky ( 1840- 1893) - "Swan Lake"
All paintings, pictures,
& text (c) 1993- 2010 Howard David Johnson All Rights Reserved
*****
All these images &
text are legally copyrighted & were registered with the U.S. Library of Congress
Office of Copyright in 2004-10 by the author, Howard David Johnson All rights reserved
worldwide. Permission for many legal non-commercial uses is freely available by simply
contacting the author or visiting www.howarddavidjohnson.com/permission.htm
- NEWLY
UPDATED FOR 2010!
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