Artist of the Day, October 30, 2025 : George Johnson, a New Zealander painter [Constructivism] (#2405)

George Henry Johnson (1926 – 2021) was a New Zealand artist who made his name in Australia.

Johnson studied art under the emigre artist Theo Schoon, who confirmed an early commitment to modernist art, especially Geometric Abstraction. He graduated from Wellington Technical College in 1947.

Johnson took influence from Dutch De Stijl, otherwise known as Neoplasticism. This Dutch art movement was based around architecturally structured pieces, similar to how you may view many of Johnson's works. Growing up, this artistic influence was significant as it was at the height of its popularity during Johnson's most impressionable years.

Johnson relocated to Melbourne, Australia, in 1951 where he was soon drawn into contemporary art circles, mixing with Leonard French, Roger Kemp, Inge King, Julius Kane, Peter Graham, Clement Meadmore and others. He held his first solo exhibition there at the age of 30 in 1956, a selection of boldly geometric abstractions that set the art scene buzzing. By this time he was sharing a studio with French and the pair experienced increasing friction from the Heide Circle, a rival group of figurative modernists—including Arthur Boyd, John Perceval, Charles Blackman and Robert Dickerson—who were still trying to control the Contemporary Art Society. The latter artists eventually formed the Antipodeans Group, staging an exhibition in August 1959, initially to make a stand against Johnson, French, Kemp and a growing number of non-objectivist followers, although increasingly to express their opposition to American Abstract Expressionism, which they feared was about to overwhelm Australian art.

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Toccata,  c. 1954

Unit,  c. 1960

Earth Concept,  c. 1963

Untitled,  c. 1975

Relationship 1976,  c. 1976

Study for Structure Nº. 2,  c. 1980

Relationships Nº 16,  c. 1982

 World View,  c. 1984

Untitled (Study for Red Triangle Paintings),  c. 1985

For Lou Johnson,  c. 1986

Multilineal,  c. 1987

Two Red Triangles supported by Black and Grey Cross Brace,  c. 1988

Variations on a Red Triangle theme,  c. 1989

Red Triangle Construction,  c. 1996

Suspended Red Triangles Nº. 1,  c. 1996

Untitled,  c. 1996

Sentinel Nº. 2,  c. 1997

Untitled,  c. 1997

Vertical Red Triangle Construction Nº 3,  c. 1997

Personal Symbol,  c. 1999

Structure with Blue Triangle,  c. 1999

Three Circular Constructions,  c. 2004

Dual Circular Theme (Senior),  c. 2005

From the Centre,  c. 2005

Motivation Nº. 2,  c. 2005

Sonata Nº. 1,  c. 2005

Red Nexus,  c. 2006

Construction with Red Oxide Triangle,  c. 2007

Artery,  c. 2008

Multilineal,  c. 2008

Canto I,  c. 2009

New Life,  c. 2012