Born in 1992 in Seattle, Washington, Brandon Elijah Johnson lives and works in Brooklyn, New York.

As we step into Johnson's world, somewhere between imagination and reality, we become a part of his visual diary. A collector of images, from photographs found on the internet to snapshots taken with his phone, Johnson reinterprets familiar ordinary scenes in his paintings and drawings, perhaps in an attempt to freeze a moment in time. He takes reference images from his direct environment and intentionally - or not - offers a representative picture of today’s world. His vivid compositions draw from pop culture, embrace pastiche, and remain attached to the here and now. As part of a generation willingly returning to figurative painting, Johnson moves away from pure representation, at times infusing a touch of playfulness, and distancing himself from painterly conventions. Between fiction and documentary reality, Johnson’s works reveal a part of our collective memory.

Brandon Elijah Johnson

Oil on canvas 
2022
A collector of images, from photographs found on the internet to snapshots taken with his phone, Brandon Elijah Johnson typically reinterprets a familiar or an ordinary scene, perhaps in an attempt to freeze a moment in time. In this portrait, Johnson pays homage to famed artist and ’70s Chronicler, Duncan Hannah who passed away at age 69 earlier in 2022 and whose diary and memoir thoroughly inspired Johnson. Hannah immersed himself in the wild New York scene of Warhol, then emerged in the ’80s as a respected painter.

Description

Location

With a certificate of authenticity signed by the Artist.

Authentication

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Painting

The Painterman

Oil on canvas 
2022
A collector of images, from photographs found on the internet to snapshots taken with his phone, Brandon Elijah Johnson typically reinterprets a familiar or an ordinary scene, perhaps in an attempt to freeze a moment in time.

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Claire's Knee

Oil on canvas 
2021
A collector of images, from photographs found on the internet to snapshots taken with his phone, Brandon Elijah Johnson typically reinterprets a familiar or an ordinary scene, perhaps in an attempt to freeze a moment in time.

Crystal Vision_Full

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Crystal Vision

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Private Eye

Oil on canvas 
2021
A collector of images, from photographs found on the internet to snapshots taken with his phone, Brandon Elijah Johnson typically reinterprets a familiar an ordinary scene, perhaps in an attempt to freeze a moment in time.

Front

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Poor Sport

Oil on canvas 
2021
A collector of images, from photographs found on the internet to snapshots taken with his phone, Brandon Elijah Johnson typically reinterprets a familiar an ordinary scene, perhaps in an attempt to freeze a moment in time.

Mise en place

Bright Red Candles

Oil on Canvas 
2020
An homage to one of the artist’s favorite painters, Lois Dodd, this work is titled Painting for Lois Dodd or alternatively titled, The Summer Ends. When making paintings, Johnson often works backward and in this instance, inspired by Lois Dodd’s techniques and her mastery, he renders the image wet on wet, alla prima. The image of the house, taken from the titular album cover of Illinois-based rock band, American Football, equally refers to the natural connection between the extraordinarily melancholic album and the mood set in some of Lois Dodd’s more somber romantic night paintings. Johnson reflects on how a composition may be specific to one setting while taken out of context, thus holding a sense of déjà vu or of universal familiarity.

Authentication 

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Painting for Lois Dodd / The Summer Ends

Oil on Canvas 
2020
Napping, smoking, and reading in the summer sun. We could all use a little self-care and this painting is for those of us who love the life of leisure when we have a moment to live it.

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Daydream

Oil on Canvas 
2020
After photographing industrial spotlights placed sporadically around New York City, the artist had a hunch that lights did nothing to reduce crime on a street level, which he later confirmed through research. The seeming omnipresence of ineffective over-policing that the lights represented was not just emblematic of poor allocations of the city’s budget, but a frightening forecast of what may be to come.