J. Hope Johnson
1919
Medium
etching
Dimensions
sheet: 28.9 × 22.6 cm (11 3/8 × 8 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.5142
Art Historical Context
Created in 1919 by Augustus John, this etching titled *J. Johnson* presents a sensitive portrait rendered with the delicate precision characteristic of the medium. Measuring just under 12 by 9 inches, the sheet captures the subtle tonal variations and fine linear details that etching allows, inviting viewers to appreciate the quiet intimacy of the subject. Etchings like this one played an important role in early twentieth-century printmaking, offering artists a way to produce multiple impressions while retaining expressive, hand-drawn qualities. Created in the immediate aftermath of the First...
About the Artist
Augustus John
Augustus Edwin John OM RA (1878–1961) was a Welsh painter, draughtsman, and etcher whose prodigious early gifts made him the most celebrated portraitist in Britain during the first decades of the twentieth century. Born on 4 January 1878 in Tenby, Pembrokeshire, he lost his mother Augusta Smith in childhood, a loss that left a permanent mark on his restless temperament. He and his elder sister Gwe...