Charles Johnson at The Construction Company

by Milton Fletcher
NY Arts magazine

On the evening of Saturday, February 3rd, The Construction Company in Manhattan held an opening reception for the Baltimore based, self-taught artist Charles Johnson. The venue was packed with one of the largest crowds in recent memory.

The show presented over 40 of Mr. Johnson’s portrait paintings of people and animals. His frequent use of a globular-type of spray paint provides textural effects and can extent onto the frame of the painting. Occasionally he will use linoleum as a surprising decorative motif too.

Johnson’s depiction of the human form is intriguing; for example, sometimes he foreshortens the subject’s jaw and enlarges the forehead. Additionally, he paints in a flat style that tends, at times, to eliminate the sense of depth. These exaggerations can lend a sense of caricature to many of his pieces. But Johnson’s form of caricature is unique and heartfelt because it arises from his apparent lack of formal artistic training and the stoic imagery of his work—these pieces are definitely not lampoons.

Mr. Johnson is a humble and respectful man. When asked what image in the show was his favorite, he pointed to a painting of a pregnant woman and said. “When you look that picture, there is something special that a woman can have a baby…when I saw my mother pregnant—as she went through pains and suffering—I said to myself that someday I will paint a picture of a pregnant woman. That’s what made me paint that picture.”

In addition to the artwork at the reception, there was a dance performance, To Harry, choreographed by Elaine Shipman. This somber piece featured an interracial dance troupe. Its performance demanded strenuous physical and technical skill (tableaux freezes, twirls and body contortions) for the lead female dancer that she pulled off gracefully. The pianist, Mark Hennem, typically played the piano conventionally but also applied his fingers and hands on the piano strings to create a an improvised music with a shimmering legato effect.

Mr. Johnson was inspired by the dancers’ kinetic performance and immediately began sketching out ideas on napkins based on the dancer’s body movements. Hopefully this inspiration will lead to a new set of paintings that incorporate his singular way with unconventional materials and visual perspective. Until then, the current show is well worth seeing in person.

Charles Johnson’s work is on display until March 4th. The show is curated by Lauren Faber and Natalie Giugni. Visit www.theconstructioncompany.org for more information.