ROBERT JOHNSON (1944 - 2021) •   BURNSVILLE, NC

A visual storyteller, Robert Johnson immersed himself in the natural environment. The subjects of his works range from how technological advances and man’s greed are destroying our natural world to the vitality, peacefulness and lyrical beauty of our preserved parks and lands.

Johnson’s paintings are like portals to another time, reminiscent of an era when the diversity of flora and fauna existed undisturbed by human development, intact and reliant on its own system of balances.

Dutifully making notes and intricate sketches, Johnson often exaggerated scale and detail. These sketches, combined with his vibrant memory, are the backbone of Johnson’s studies and paintings later made in his studio.

Johnson received his BS degree from the University of Louisville (KY) and his MFA degree from Mills College (CA). He has received a number of grants, including a National Endowment for the Arts/Southern Arts Federation Grant, that have funded excursions to exotic places in the U.S. and abroad. Most recently, Johnson provided illustrations for a new environmental publication titled End of Eden. His work has been exhibited in many museums, including North Carolina Museum of Art, Morris Museum of Art (GA), Chrysler Art Museum (VA) and the Asheville Art Museum (NC).


ASSOCIATED EXHIBITIONS

September 24 - October 29, 2021
Robert Johnson - Safe Places
AT THE CAMERON ART MUSEUM, WILMINGTON, NC
February 7 - August 1, 2021