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拍品專文
Trained in architecture, Dan Johnson was always interested in interior and furniture design. Considered a Los Angeles-based designer, Johnson grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota and University City, Missouri. From 1940-1941 he attended the Art Center School in Los Angeles on a work study scholarship studying 'Art Design.' In 1942 he attended the University of Cincinnati, Engineering College before returning to the Art Center in 1945 and 1946.
Throughout Dan Johnson's European travels, he was fascinated by the Surrealist movement and studied the work of Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, Le Corbusier, Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. This screen was created in the late 1940s for Johnson's own residence and remained in the collection of the artist until his death. The maquette and two pages from his sketchbook which accompany this lot, make specific references to a playful approach to the theme and imagery of the composition. The words referenced whimsical, flowers, good clouds and bottle & bugs denote the abstract forms of Johnson's imaginative fantasy found within the painting. The color references to orange and the backgrond 'a la Klee' are symbolic and further reflect the sources of inspiration for this splendid ethereal work in which organic forms and characters are reduced to abstract circles, spots, lines and bursts of color.
In the 1950s, Johnson moved to Italy and went on to design the 'Gazelle' furniture line. Johnson left Italy in 1962 and re-established himself as an artist and designer in West Los Angeles. He also returned to architecture and completed three important homes in Southern California. In the early 1960s he wrote, 'How to construct a House,' an unpublished manuscript inteneded to guide the layperson in the design and construction of a home in the modern style.
Throughout Dan Johnson's European travels, he was fascinated by the Surrealist movement and studied the work of Joan Miro, Salvador Dali, Le Corbusier, Paul Klee and Wassily Kandinsky. This screen was created in the late 1940s for Johnson's own residence and remained in the collection of the artist until his death. The maquette and two pages from his sketchbook which accompany this lot, make specific references to a playful approach to the theme and imagery of the composition. The words referenced whimsical, flowers, good clouds and bottle & bugs denote the abstract forms of Johnson's imaginative fantasy found within the painting. The color references to orange and the backgrond 'a la Klee' are symbolic and further reflect the sources of inspiration for this splendid ethereal work in which organic forms and characters are reduced to abstract circles, spots, lines and bursts of color.
In the 1950s, Johnson moved to Italy and went on to design the 'Gazelle' furniture line. Johnson left Italy in 1962 and re-established himself as an artist and designer in West Los Angeles. He also returned to architecture and completed three important homes in Southern California. In the early 1960s he wrote, 'How to construct a House,' an unpublished manuscript inteneded to guide the layperson in the design and construction of a home in the modern style.