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.