Stefan Johansson
My passion for painting began more than 30 years ago and continues with this series of portraits that I started in 2012. These works were born from the theme of this series which is titled "Friends, Heroes and Wankers". The paintings project the philosophy and attitudes of my subjects, which in this case the primary inspiration for my applying paint to canvas and the goal of bringing new perspectives to these individuals that have become known through their own intellect and accomplishments...
"Friends, Heroes and Wankers"
The quotes painted on the portraits were chosen to reflect this inspiration but not necessarily as a means to communicate or convince others of their meaning. As Oscar Wilde wrote in his preface to The Picture of Dorian Grey, those who seek meaning below the surface do so at is own peril. Yet because painting is a completely solitary and selfish act, it allows me - as an artist - to express myself onto canvas in a free yet concentrated manner, abandoning any preconceived notion of who I am. Time has given me the freedom to extract what I can from these philosophies, it makes perfect sense to me to reflect these meanings with formal portraiture while obscuring the lines with the the words of the subject or in some case as tribute to the subject. Art is subjective, and as such I leave it up to the viewer to decide in which category of my theme each subject falls...
