Gene Johnson began his painting career in New York City's Soho district. He has participated in many group and solo exhibitions in New York, Mexico, Paris, Madrid, Havana and Sao Paulo. His work can be found in private, corporate and museum collections in the US, Latin America and Europe.
Johnson's work is defined by his painterly use of color, texture and form allude to his respect for traditional and expressive painters alike. His intense and energetic application of paint embodies these paintings with a synthesis of emotion, intuition and sensuality. Rich patinas suggest a density of time and history.
He alternately works in painting and collage. His collages are all small scale, giving them a sense of intimacy and playfulness, while his paintings are of a larger scale, bold, and run the gamut from brilliant hues to the almost monochromatic ... grays, whites and blacks.
Art Critic, John Yau: “These are not paintings Johnson has made, but rather paintings he has discovered in the process of making. In synthesizing geometric abstraction, process painting and typographic fragments, Johnson has developed a language that is recognizably his own. It is an abstract visual language that is fluent, flexible and emotional. ”
New York Times Art Critic, William Zimmer: “His work possesses a beguiling literalness, solid forms against impalpable ground. Johnson stages a balancing act in his work, mining the sensations of life, so that these paintings actually themselves become a spiritual force.”
