Charlie Johnson
Gouache Paints
2024

“Chesapeake” is a gouache painting I did in my sophomore year of highschool. I wanted to create an atmospheric energy with the dark warm lighting. My goal with this was to make the viewer feel like they could be a part of the painting. There were a few challenges when deciding what to do and how to go about it. I had thought of a few ideas for the bottom of the painting, but eventually decided to frame the subjects with the contrasting teal. I was hoping this created a sophisticated feel. 

I was inspired by the artist J.C. Leyendecker, and many of his portraits. He did many dynamic portraits, usually in casual settings, which was the inspiration for my subjects. I created the work because I wanted to indulge the audience in an atmospheric piece. I used some of my past work as a reference for tyle when I was not taking style directly from Leyendecker. I wanted my past painting and this one to be cohesive, yet unique. While painting, I didn't have a clear vision of how I wanted it to look at the end, which made the process exciting, as I didnt know how it would turn out. I wanted to use his work because of his iconic style. Some things I particularly noticed about his work were the intricate folds of the fabric. His rendering of the hands is extremely well done and his work of light shows his talent and skill. His dynamic poses add a natural and lively feel to his subjects. Although his goal was never hyperrealism, his natural posing and light makes the portraits seem realistic. He often chooses to portray a solid white background, not withholding the texture of each simple brushstroke outlining his subjects. When he wasn't using this method for the background, he would have skillfully rendered objects and furniture. I chose his art because of all of these reasons, and I thought it would be a challenge to depict his satisfyingly crisp highlights and dynamic shadows. I would love to be able to depict more of his style in the future.

            J.C. Leyendecker was a German artist born 1874 and died 1951. J.C. (Joseph Christian) was well known in his time for his work on various advertisements. Leyendecker was trained at the Chicago Art Institution, as well as a school in Paris. Leyendecker was apprenticed at the very young age of 16, where he bettered his skills and which later led him to his commercial work. He often worked with a special medium that combined oil and turpentine in his painting, which helped to create his iconic style. Many have imitated and studied Leyendeckers paintings, including acclaimed artist Norman Rockwell, who was said to imitate Leyendecker in every way he found possible. Leyendecker moved to America with his family when he was eight, and died in New York. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery next to his parents and his brother. You can view his paintings at Haggin Museum in California.