Realistic Art: Classical & Fantastic Realism in Paintings & Pictures in a style following classic illustrators: Cultural Art Galleries in many mediums illustrating Mythology, Legends, Heroic History, & Natural Beauty... with lots of Fairy Tales & Fantasy Art for the fun-loving & young at heart. Old Fashioned Traditional painting meets 21st Century digital media~ exploring our cultural & spiritual heritages while pioneering new vistas for Art & Technology through visual art, essay, & word paintings. Newly Updated for 2023!
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* Japanese * Francais * Deutsch * Dutch * Greek * Italiano * Espanol * Chinese * |
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The Realistic and Fantastic Art Galleries of Contemporary American Illustrator Howard David Johnson whose works have been published all over the world by distinguished learning institutions and publishers including the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
~ Dedicated to my parents Howard and Louise
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Click on these Art Gallery Icons for Two-fisted Tales of VALOR & Frontline Combat featuring Legendary Warriors of History, Knights and ladies of Arthurian Legend, Celtic, Nordic, Asian and Olympian mythology~ Fairy Tales, Fantasy and Science Fiction, Portraits and more!
| All these pieces of art and the text are legally copyrighted and were registered with the U.S. Library of Congress Office of Copyright by the author, Howard David Johnson All rights reserved worldwide. Permission for many academic or non-commercial uses is freely and legally available by simply contacting the author via e-mail or visiting www.howarddavidjohnson.com/permission.htm |
On the World Wide Web since 1996 ~
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The Legends of History (below right)- Educational multi-media art galleries exploring the Myths & Legends of the ancient world & War & Civilization; The Outline of History through realistic art, prose, & essay... An introduction to legendary Spartan Warriors ( below left) and legendary women (below center) |
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Mystery, Babylon, the Great -The Deesse et chimere Icon (below 2nd from left) Links to a Symbolist art gallery featuring an astonishing disclosure about the Beast (Chimera) from the book of Revelation and more Apocalyptic Prophecies or Daniel in the lion's Den for our newly updated Angel Art Gallery... and The Antiquities of the Hebrews Gallery ~ Featuring the Adventures of The Prophets... |
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Click on The World's Great Religions (Kwan Yin icon below right)- An educational multi-media art gallery embracing religious tolerance and exploring the world's great religions and their impact on war and civilization through realistic art, prose, and essay... |
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Women Warriors of World History- "The Trung Sisters of Viet Nam" [above far left], Warrior Women of World Mythology "Scáthach ~ Teacher of fighters"[center left], Legendary Queens: "Zenobia, Queen of Palmyra"and The World's Great Religions "Kwan Yin" Click on the images above to see the galleries, [ ca. 2001 - 2023 All in Mixed Media [Oil Paints and Digital 2D & 3D] |
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Classical Mythology; Greek & Roman Myths: Click on the images above for portraits & introductions to the legendary gods of Olympus, The Titans, The Greek Heroes, as well as realistic illustrations of Homer's The Iliad & the Odyssey, Helen of Troy & The Trojan Horse, Jason & the Argonauts & more. |
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FROM CELTIC MYTHOLOGY: "The life & Adventures of Cu Chulainn " , Click the image above to see dozens of illustrations from the Irish Epic "Tain bo Culailnge" aka The Cattle Raid of Cooley ca. 2019 - 2023 All in Mixed Media [ Oil Paints and Digital 2D & 3D] |
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SCIENCE FICTION and FANTASY ART GALLERIES: Click on the images "Encounter on Enceladus, "Fairy Queen FAND & the Sea Dragon" & "Strange Worlds" to see the collections ~ All created in Mixed Media [ Oil Paints & Digital 2D & 3D] ca. 2016-2021] |
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Examples of Contemporary HISTORY PAINTING ~ "The Seige of the Alamo", "President Abraham Lincoln" & "The Old Breed: 1st Marines Assault on Pelilieu Beach" 2016-2017 All in Mixed Media including Oil Paints & Digital 2D & 3D |
Who is American Illustrator Howard David Johnson?
In one of David's invitations to the Florence Biennale Contemporary Art Exhibition, (a partner in the United Nations' Dialog among Nations), UN Secretary General Kofi Anon wrote him: "Artists have a special role to play in the global struggle for peace. At their best, artists speak not only to people; they speak for them. Art is a weapon against ignorance and hatred and an agent of public awareness... Art opens new doors for learning, understanding, and peace among nations."
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Howard David Johnson is a contemporary realistic artist and photographer with a background in the natural sciences and history. David works in a wide variety of mixed media ranging from oil on canvas to digital media. David's realistic illustrations have made appearances in every major bookstore and game shop chain in America as well as magazines and educational texts around the world. Some of David's more prestigious clients have included the
University of Texas, the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge in
England, The Australian Mint, The National Geographic Society,
Paramount Studios, Universal Studios, MGM Studios, Warner Brothers Home
Video, ABC/Disney, CBS TV, PBS TV, The History Channel, Enslow
Educational Publishers, Adobe Photoshop, Auto FX, Tree-Free Greeting,
Verizon wireless, Apple IPOD, Penguin, Doubleday (Now Random House),
Harlequin Top Historical Romances, and the History Book of the Month
Club, as well as appearing in periodical publications like Popular
Photography and the Wall Street Journal.
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A Traditional style portrait of the artist. [Photo by his son Erich.] |
After a lifetime of drawing and painting, David's Traditional 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.
Working in a variety of media David offers his customers a variety of options and more than three decades of experience. As an illustrator he has not only used the computer but has been involved in the development and marketing of software for Adobe Photoshop. Digital art, Colored pencils, Pastels, Mixed media, & also Oil Paintings can also be commissioned for select projects.Digital illustration projects start at $500.U.S. and group rates are available. David delivers custom made copyright free illustrations & old fashioned customer service when he does work-for-hire. To publish existing pieces of his realistic art, David sells licenses starting at only $99.USD.
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Keep
Scrolling Down for More on our Business and Retail Services
and Essays and Articles on Style & Technique You can e-mail for more details at:
Your business, letters and links are always welcome!
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ORIGINAL OIL PAINTINGS ON CANVAS FOR SALE:
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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.
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People have written asking me to tell them how to tell my digital and mixed media from my Prismacolors or oils. The very fact it is so hard to tell is my point! This new media looks very presentable and costs far less! ALL HALLOWS EVE was begun as a digital montage .This is your guide: above far right is the digital composition... As you're browsing my galleries and can't spot the difference I won't tell you... that would spoil the fun! Is it worth tens of thousands to you to be old fashioned?
ALL HALLOWS EVE was rendered in oil on 20x16 canvas in 2010 (right) and features the lovely Ann Bratton as Titania in this illustration from Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream. Even when displayed at the same size the oil on canvas is clearly a superior illustration to the 2006 Prismacolor Painting on paper. (left). Considering many oil painters charge $60,000.00 USD and up these $5,000.00 USD and up prices seem very low to me... Original oil paintings are for sale, e-mail for info...
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AFFORDABLE ART LESSONS PAYMENT OPTIONS: We accept checks, money orders & traveler's cheques of all kinds. We will also gladly accept Swift international bank transfer or for Credit and Debit card orders: You can use Western Union (1 877 984 0469) or you can send it by Swift bank transfer. For Swift you'll need our bank codes, e-mail us at info@howarddavidjohnson.com. We usually respond within 24 hours and you'll have your first three lessons the very next day. Be Sure and send your regular AND E-mail addresses with your tuition payments! Use your credit card with Paypal!
Send Payment to:
thejohnsongalleries@gmail.com SPEEDY SERVICE! As a courtesy customers receive their first 3 lessons the same day we receive payment by e-mail! The complete 15 lesson course on CD-ROM disks go out in the mail out the next day! *
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Bonus Section: Essays and articles on Realistic Art and Art philosophy yesterday and today. Also: Information about Original Art, books and Posters for Sale as well as Art Instruction Philosophy, Art, & Art Philosophy
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STYLE and TECHNIQUE "Those who are enamored 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."
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| Howard David Johnson is a contemporary realistic visual artist and photographer with a background in |
| the natural sciences and history. He works in a wide variety of realistic art 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 |
Pandora's Box- rendered in Prismacolor pencils ( below left) is not at all what people think of when they hear the word 'drawing'
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Finding and training the right models is the hard part, then Photography, Mathematical Design and Digital Composition all come before the image is transferred to paper or canvas and rendered in mixed media ( including prismacolor pencils, oils, acrylics, and or many other traditional art media). |
The various galleries linked to by the icons above show many examples of David's Realistic Art, and are grouped by theme rather than media. There are also sample illustrations from his books on Fairy Art and Mythology. Since boyhood David has studied and copied the old masters. To create his art works David begins with a concept followed by a realistic sketch, researching and traveling to find scenes and locations. Photography comes next. Working in his Analog Photography Studio with live models he follows up with a digitally assembled photo montage in the computer, combining original and old realistic elements to create a new work. As a boy David dedicated his life to art in 1960. From 1965- 1999 he used xeroxes and tracings to make his preliminary montages. This is patterned after the manner used by Maxfield Parrish and other 19th century notables. Beginning with a tracing, David then draws or paints from these complex original Computer Photo Montages. Many of these are on display on this web and slated for future completion in a variety of traditional realistic art media. As this happens, his finished work is substituted in the exhibit. (See the about the artist gallery link above for more details.) David has built up an enormous library of original source photos to use in his realistic art. For decades David has sought out the most beautiful models and brought them in for sessions in his analog photography studio. |
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Personal Opinion Essays on Realistic Art yesterday and today by the artist. Art education has been almost completely removed from American Schools. Today, most American college graduates cannot name even one living artist. There is no way that mandating more math, requiring more reading, or scheduling more science will replace what we have lost as a culture.
"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
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Essay One: On Realistic Art: What is YOUR definition of ART? THE MORE THINGS CHANGE, THE MORE THEY STAY THE SAME...
( A Brief essay dealing with attitudes toward Realistic Art and prior developments in technology in history)
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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." 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. |
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By my own definition of art, which is: "anything that makes you feel or think" most abstract paintings are not "real art" to me 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, Michelangelo, 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? ~.H.D.J. ***** |
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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. |
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But how do all these new Realistic Art media fit in with formal definitions of Art?
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Art ( noun ) [ Middle English, from Old French, from Latin ars (stem art-). ] 1. Human effort to imitate, supplement, alter, or counteract the work of nature. 2. The conscious production or arrangement of sounds, colors, forms, movements, or other elements in a manner that affects the sense of beauty; specifically, the production of the beautiful in a graphic or plastic medium. 3. The product of these activities; human works of beauty, collectively. 4. High quality of conception or execution, as found in works of beauty; aesthetic value. 5. Any field or category of art, such as painting, music, ballet, or literature. 6. A non-scientific branch of learning; one of the liberal arts. 7. a. A system of principles and methods employed in the performances of a set of activities: the art of building. b. A trade or craft that applies such a system of principles and methods: pursuing the baker's art. 8. A specific skill in adept performance, conceived as requiring the exercise of intuitive faculties that cannot be learned solely by study: the art of writing letters. 9. a. Usually plural. Artful devices; stratagems; tricks. b. Artfulness; contrivance; cunning. 10. In printing: Illustrative material as distinguished from text. ~ The American Heritage College Dictionary of the English Language ***** Special note: 21st century professional art critics are not repeating these mistakes of history and are blessing and encouraging artistic excellence in all styles and mediums, even including today's digital media. To them I say: Bravo! If only our world leaders could learn from the mistakes of the past as you have.
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Essay Two Realistic Art : The Rebirth of Realism in the 21st Century 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.
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"The Search for Scatha" MMXX Mixed Media including oil paints, photography and 2D and 3D |
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. | |
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( 'The Lady Kriemhilde' rendered in Prismacolor pencils ) |
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 David 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. | |
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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 (Art Numérica). 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.
~ Howard David Johnson MMII *****
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David has four pages of free art lessons & offers paid private instruction too. For more information, click on the link above ( an oil pastel rendering of Mary Shelly's Bride of Frankenstien ) |
We love hearing from you! Your business, letters & links are welcome:
info@howarddavidjohnson.com
Acknowledgements
These Mythic Art creations take their inspiration from the realistic paintings of the old masters just as the film West Side Story came from Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet, who in turn copied it from Pyramus and Thisbe, from Ovid's Metamorphoses. Our shared cultural heritage, great works of art, literature, music and drama, cinema, folk tales and fairy tales are all drawn upon again and again by the creators of new works. These works in the public domain are both a catalyst and a wellspring for creativity and innovation. Where would Walt Disney be without the Brothers Grimm Hans Christian Anderson, or Victor Hugo? Where would Aaron Copeland have been without American folk music? Or Thomas Nast's Santa Claus without traditional images of Father Christmas? Pablo Picasso without aboriginal African art? Public domain appropriators, one and all. When America was formed, copyright law was created to promote the public creativity and had 14 year terms to reward the creators, but now with 100 plus year terms very little is currently allowed to enter into the public domain and its preservation is of the utmost urgency to our future cultural well-being. In keeping with art tradition and etiquette following the exhibit , I mention some of the artists and writers that have influenced me the most; William Bouguereau, John William Waterhouse, Ivan Ivanovich Shishkin, Edmund Blair Leighton, Howard Pyle, Arthur Rackham, Arthur Hughes, Dante Gabriel Rosetti, Viktor Vasnetsov, Jean Auguste Ingres, Anthony Van Dyke, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, Wallace Wood, Jack Kirby, Frank Frazetta, Ray Harryhausen, H.G. Wells, Gustave Moreau, William Morris, Henry David Thoreau, Will Durant, The Pre- Raphaelites, The Symbolists, et al.
"The Epic Cycle" Now on sale from Oxford University Press...
Thank You for Visiting the Realistic Art Galleries of Howard David Johnson...
All these pieces of art and the text are legally copyrighted and were registered with the U.S. Library of Congress Office of Copyright 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
Music by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky ( 1840- 1893) - "Swan Lake"
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