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Lester Johnson Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

American, 1919-2010

A New York artist, known as a second-generation Abstract Expressionist, Lester Johnson was born to a large Lutheran family in Minneapolis. He studied at the Minneapolis School of Art and the St. Paul Art School. There, he was introduced to Hans Hofmann's teaching approach, particularly the push and pull effects of form and color by St. Paul teachers Alexander Masley and Cameron Booth, both of whom had studied with Hofmann in Munich. After further study at the Chicago Art Institute, Johnson moved to New York City in 1947 and became one of the first downtown loft-dwellers. He shared a lower East Side studio with Larry Rivers and attended some of Hofmann's New York classes. Rents were cheap, but Johnson was broke much of the time as he tried to support his painting through a variety of part-time jobs, including teaching art. In 1950, he and realist figurative painter Philip Pearlstein shared studio space. Lester's wife, Jo, had introduced the two artists at a time when she and Pearlstein were studying art history at New York University.

Johnson's various studios, on the Bowery and elsewhere, were always one flight up with a view of Manhattan's active street life. No wonder, for over 50 years, street scenes have been a dominant part of his art. Johnson adopted the working techniques of action painting, which meant he used a great deal of paint. A tube of oil paint might be expended in seconds as he, like Pollock, physically projected himself into the work. The images that Johnson produced were not decorative, but stubbornly confrontational, oversize, brooding, thickly encrusted, scarred surfaces that were alive with recognizable objects and figures. Even today, few realize how radical it was for Johnson to depict a recognizable subject in an adamantly pro-abstract-expressionist climate. Sculptor George Segal recalled, "The Abstract Expressionists were legislating any reference to the physical world totally out of art. This was outrageous to us." The rebellion came naturally to Lester Johnson, and he remained tenaciously outside the mainstream. Nonetheless, he produced a body of work that influenced several generations of younger painters and confounded an art establishment in need of neat categorization. He remains one of the few painters whose work holds significance for both abstract and figurative artists. Johnson's animated men and women, with all their nervous energy, yield themselves only gradually to analysis and will no doubt be reinterpreted for many years to come.

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Artist: Lester Johnson
Self Portrait
By Lester Johnson
Located in New York, NY
Lester Johnson Self Portrait 1969 drawn with ink, crayon, and spray enamel on paper. Measuring 14 by 11 inches, this drawing was recently professionally framed.
Category

1960s Expressionist Lester Johnson Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Enamel

untitled
By Lester Johnson
Located in New York, NY
Lester Johnson untitled charcoal, conte crayon, and spray enamel on board from 1972. Framed.
Category

1970s Other Art Style Lester Johnson Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Conté, Charcoal, Spray Paint, Board

Untitled (Figures in a park)
By Lester Johnson
Located in Fairlawn, OH
Untitled (Figures in a park) Watercolor on paper, 1991 Signed lower right of image (see photo) Condition: Excellent Sheet size: 10 3/16 x 14 1/16 inches Provenance: David Anderson Ga...
Category

1990s Abstract Expressionist Lester Johnson Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

MEN IN BOWLER HATS
By Lester Johnson
Located in Portland, ME
Johnson, Lester (American, 1919-2010). MEN IN BOWLER HATS. Drawing, watercolor, wash, and pastel on paper, 1973. Signed, lower right. 26 1/2 x 40 1/2 inches...
Category

1970s Lester Johnson Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Pastel, Watercolor

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Lester Johnson drawings and watercolor paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Lester Johnson drawings and watercolor paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Lester Johnson in paint, crayon, spray paint and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Expressionist style. Not every interior allows for large Lester Johnson drawings and watercolor paintings, so small editions measuring 11 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Joseph Glasco, David Stephens, and Katherine Porter. Lester Johnson drawings and watercolor paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,800 and tops out at $12,000, while the average work can sell for $5,600.

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