Richard Johnson (war Artist)
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Richard Johnson (born 1966 in Scotland) is a
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
journalist and
war artist A war artist is an artist either commissioned by a government or publication, or self-motivated, to document first-hand experience of war in any form of illustrative or depictive record.Imperial War Museum (IWM)header phrase, "war shapes lives" ...
.


Early life and education

Johnson was born in
Falkirk Falkirk ( ; ; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland, historically within the county of Stirlingshire. It lies in the Forth Valley, northwest of Edinburgh and northeast of Glasgow. Falkirk had a resident population of 32,422 at the ...
, Scotland, and was educated at
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design (DJCAD) is part of the University of Dundee in Dundee, Scotland. It is ranked as one of the top schools of art and design in the United Kingdom. History Attempts were made to establish an art sch ...
. He was taught to draw by his grandfather, Herbert William Bingham, an amateur artist.


Career

In 2003 Johnson, on assignment for the ''
Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' (commonly referred to as the ''Freep'') is a major daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It is the largest local newspaper owned by Gannett (the publisher of ''USA Today''), and is operated by the Detro ...
'', embedded with the
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
for the invasion and early months of the
Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
. Much of Johnson’s artwork from that war is now held by the
National Museum of the Marine Corps The National Museum of the Marine Corps is the historical museum of the United States Marine Corps. Located in Triangle, Virginia near Marine Corps Base Quantico, the museum opened on November 10, 2006, and is now one of the top tourist attracti ...
in Virginia. The artwork was part of a newspaper series with reporter Jeff Seidel. The writings and pencil sketches were compiled into a book, “Portraits of War,” in 2003. In 2007, Johnson – writing and drawing for the National Post - traveled with a Canadian
International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 ac ...
in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Much of that work is now held by the Smithsonian Institution's
National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a historical museum in Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and m ...
, in Washington, D.C. In 2008 and 2009, Johnson traveled as photographer and videographer to Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, while working for the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
. In 2011, Johnson traveled with Canadian military in Kandahar, Afghanistan. Much of that work is now held by the Smithsonian
National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center is a historical museum in Washington, D.C. It collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and m ...
, in Washington, D.C. In August 2012, Johnson returned to Afghanistan, to observe the US Army ISAF soldiers who took over from Canadian troops in Kandahar, and to Kabul and Masar-e-sharif to observe training missions by Canadian ISAF. In 2013, Johnson began working for ''The Washington Post'' as illustrator. In March 2014, he began a journal of urban sketching called "Drawing D.C. Together." In August 2014, Johnson returned again to Afghanistan, covering the drawdown of U.S. combat troops. In November 2015, he traveled to Ukraine, as part of the Canadian Forces Artists Program, covering NATO training.


References


External links


The National Post, Kandahar JournalThe National Post, The Long Road SeriesApplied Arts Magazine articleRichard Johnson's Kandahar Journal, National PostSociety For News Design India articleAndrewcox.com articleBattleground Exhibit: The Kandahar Journals of Richard JohnsonPortraits of War, July 2003NewsIllustrator.comThe National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, VAThe Smithsonian, National Museum of American HistoryDrawing D.C. TogetherTed Talk: No Place For a CivilianFour Small Stories of the HeartWar Literature and The Arts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Richard 1966 births Alumni of the University of Dundee Canadian journalists Living people Canadian war artists 20th-century Canadian journalists 21st-century Canadian journalists