| John Lennon is best known throughout the world for the music and ideas that shaped a generation and a way of life for millions in the 1960s and 1970s. But few know that Lennon's first passion was his artwork, and that it was for this that he most wished to achieve recognition. "The guitar came second," he once told an interviewer. "Second."
Before his tragic death in 1980, Lennon had told his wife Yoko that there were two things he hoped to accomplish in his lifetime: to record another album and to be recognized as a visual artist. The first dream was fulfilled with the recording with Yoko of "Double Fantasy";
but his life was cut short before he had a chance to achieve the second.
In what she has called a "silent promise to share John's love for art with the rest of the world," Yoko Ono Lennon began producing a series of prints from John's original drawings in 1986. The works, produced in editions of 300, were selected from Lennon's sketchbooks; they are deeply personal images of his family, his life, his experiences. In many ways, they form an intimate visual diary of John's thoughts and feelings during the last -- and happiest -- years of his life. Some of the prints have been colored by Yoko, making them among the couple's many collaborative projects. The print collection is an ongoing program, and new images are added regularly
Lennon's style as an artist has been written about extensively, and consisted of two main techniques: quick sketching and the art of sumi ink drawing, which involves the use of a fine sable brush with very black ink and water. This Oriental art technique leaves very little room for error; the consistency of the water and ink has to be carefully controlled, and the brushstrokes must suit the consistency of the ink. Quick sketching was also well suited to Lennon, as he could draw extremely fast; many of his quick sketches were made in one continuous movement in which he did not lift his pencil from the paper, thereby creating an entire complex image with a single line.
Previously, John Lennon's prints have been exhibited with tremendous success at museums and galleries throughout the world. They are in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art, New York, as well as other noted institutions.
A color catalogue is available.
JOHN LENNON ART PROJECTS WORKS DIRECTLY WITH YOKO ONO AND THE ESTATE OF JOHN LENNON TO OFFER THE COMPLETE COLLECTION OF PRINTS BY JOHN WINSTON LENNON. ALL PRINTS ARE GUARANTEED AND ARE ACCOMPANIED BY A SIGNED CERTIFICATE OF AUTHENTICITY.
For more information: info@johnlennonartprojects.com |
