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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

The Gallery’s Acknowledgement of Country, and information on culturally sensitive and restricted content and the use of historic language in the collection can be found here.

Michael Johnson, McMahon's Point, Sydney

1969 (printed 2000)
David Moore

from the series ‘From Face to Face’
type C photograph on paper (28.2 cm x 43.1 cm)

Michael Johnson (b. 1938) is a Sydney painter. He studied at the National Art School in the 1950s before moving to London and the United States. He has taught at a number of art schools and had a great many solo and group shows in Australia and overseas. In 1980-81 he collaborated with Robert Klippel on a spraypainted steel sculpture project. He has explained that his paintings will not tolerate the idea of a picture; they 'just won't let it in', because they are 'preoccupied with the spectacular process of their own formation'.

Michael Johnson has explained his experience of painting in this way:

Putting down a colour, the first thing you do is oppose it with another colour or give it some kind of sympathy . . . The choice of colour is an emotional decision which is hard to account for, but it's related to a physical phenomenon, to a canvas or a piece of paper

. . . You start with the experience of the bare gesso, the primed canvas, and that is sublime. That is meditation itself . . . If you're playing a musical instrument, because it's so close to the body, it's not like painting, where you've got to go to the box to pick up some paint. In a way I try to reduce all that by mixing colour on the surface . . . I don't see any difference between the spirit of music and the spirit of painting. Not so much painting, but colours . . . I'm interested in colour divorced of its physical body.

Collection: National Portrait Gallery
The series 'David Moore: From Face to Face' was acquired as a gift of the artist and with financial assistance from Timothy Fairfax AC and L Gordon Darling AC CMG 2001
© Lisa, Michael, Matthew and Joshua Moore
http://davidmoorephotography.com.au/

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

Artist and subject

David Moore (age 42 in 1969)

Michael Johnson (age 31 in 1969)

Subject professions

Visual arts and crafts

Supported by

Tim Fairfax AC (54 portraits supported)

The Gordon Darling Foundation (36 portraits supported)

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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

This website comprises and contains copyrighted materials and works. Copyright in all materials and/or works comprising or contained within this website remains with the National Portrait Gallery and other copyright owners as specified.

The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. The use of images of works of art reproduced on this website and all other content may be restricted under the Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). Requests for a reproduction of a work of art or other content can be made through a Reproduction request. For further information please contact NPG Copyright.

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