Claudette Johnson is known for depicting larger than life images of black protagonists that occupy the entire space of the painting. In her work, Johnson attempts to counter negative representations of black women and men, and to fight their lack of visibility. She also strives to create a range of representations of the black body that is free from or resists objectification. Joining the newly formed BLK Art Group in 1981, Johnson was part of a movement of artists who aimed to challenge their shared invisibility in the art world, leading ten female artists of of African, Caribbean and Asian ancestry, to exhibit in the 1985 exhibition The Thin Black Line at the ICA.
In Standing Figure, she uses the modest materials of pastel on paper to capture the strong standing pose of the figure. The young woman never meets our gaze, nor does she give the impression that she is shy. Although Johnson’s works are often defined as ‘portraits’, she has suggested that her drawings sit outside of portraiture as the figures inhabit an undefined space that makes no reference to the sitter’s personal history or location. She uses her work to investigate her interest in the black figure, a place where race, gender and belonging collide.
In recent years Rugby Art Gallery and Museum’s acquisitions have been selected to broaden the range of mediums and subject matter represented in the gallery’s collection, connecting it with the temporary exhibition programme and growing audiences. Acquiring a new work by Claudette Johnson in early 2018 is a key decision linked to a series of temporary exhibitions that focus on people, communities and their stories.
