Howard David Johnson is an American artist and photographer known for his photorealistic paintings and illustrations with historical, religious, and mythological themes. Born in Germany in 1954, he was heavily influenced by the Pre-Raphaelite artists of the period. His works evoke archetypal and idealized images deeply rooted in European folklore, especially those from Celtic, Greek, Norse mythology, and Arthurian legends.
Howard began painting at the age of six, using pastels and brushes provided in elementary school art classes. As a young boy, he heard from others that these materials were inadequate for developing his artistic expression properly. However, he only had the money to purchase watercolors and pastels. From then on, he started working with mixed media to compensate for the lack of financial resources. Today, the painter works with traditional tools such as brushes and oils, as well as digital media.
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Since childhood, his father, a career officer in the U.S. Air Force and a university professor, opposed his decision to become a painter. This opposition stemmed from the fact that his great-uncle had never been able to fulfill his dream of becoming an illustrator after returning from World War II, ultimately taking his own life. His mother, Louise Franklin Johnson, on the other hand, always supported him. She was also a talented artist and took him to museums and places of spiritual and cultural value in the Old Traditional World.
During a trip to Paris, Howard noticed how various painting masters partially copied the works of other artists as a form of study, something that is often condemned in the online art sphere. Howard makes it clear that he wants everyone to know how much he studied John William Waterhouse‘s work.
Obstacles
Howard David Johnson suffered an accident with a hydraulic lift in 1964 that mangled his hand, which was later reconstructed. To overcome this issue, he decided to tape the brush to a brace. However, the painter considers that the greatest obstacle to his career was his father’s strong opposition. At that time, Howard practiced for 4 to 12 hours a day to become a comic book artist. He even got hired by DC Comics during one of their talent search caravans across the country, but his father tore up the received check and insisted he would not go to New York but rather to Vietnam.
Howard David Johnson
Change of Direction
After his aspiring career as a comic book illustrator, Howard shifted his focus to photorealism. Upon mastering the technique, he received so much criticism for his style that he decided to dedicate himself to a more traditional art style, blending the art of the old masters with modern illustration.
Due to his father’s military career, Howard David Johnson grew up traveling and living on military bases around the world, which inspired his work with Mediterranean and Central European architecture, culture, and art. In 1967, during the Six-Day War, he and his family were in Libya. While being evacuated, his father managed to have them relocated to the land where he was born: Germany. There, he fell in love with the forests and charming villages, with their winding cobblestone streets and castles-crowned mountains.
Academic Background
The painter attended the College of Fine Arts at the University of Texas in Austin, where he met his wife and put down roots. He studied Natural Sciences and History and began his professional career as a scientific illustrator for the university’s School of Paleontology in 1974.
Recognition
Howard David Johnson has completed work for various major clients such as the National Geographic Society, the History Channel, Paramount and Disney studios, and the universities of Texas, Cambridge, and Oxford. In 1996, he founded The Brandywine School of the Illustrative Arts with the intention of embracing realist artists who are often overlooked by contemporary art schools, which primarily focus on Abstract and Expressionist styles at the expense of the Classical.
His works have been exhibited at the British Museum in London, as well as in various American museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. His works can be found on numerous literary book covers, as well as in games, educational texts, and magazines from around the world.
Gallery – Howard David Johnson
