http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/d/v/t/BJ_working_on_Liverpool_cit.jpg

Ben Johnson at work on his Liverpool cityscape

Ben Johnson’s architectural portrait of Liverpool celebrates the city’s status as European Capital of Culture in 2008. The 2.5m by 5m panoramic, which has been three years in the making, depicts 170ha of the city from a near bird’s-eye perspective. It will be accompanied by Johnson’s paintings of other cities including Chicago, Jerusalem and Hong Kong.

May 24-November 2
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

It will be interesting to see how it pans out.

More about Ben Johnson.

'The Liverpool Cityscape',

About the artist

Ben Johnson was born in Llandudno, north Wales in 1946. He studied at the Royal College of Art, London. His first solo exhibition was held in New York in 1969, and since then he has shown widely in Britain (including twice at the John Moores exhibitions of contemporary painting at The Walker Art Gallery Liverpool), the rest of Europe and the USA.

Ben’s paintings are concerned with architecture. Although they are very detailed and appear realistic, he does not regard himself as a photorealist. He represents cities from viewpoints that it would not be possible to see in reality, sometimes subtly manipulating their topography to create an ‘ideal’ view. In the case of Liverpool, for example, the Goodison Park and Anfield football grounds have been brought closer together so that both appear in the painting. The cities in Ben’s paintings also appear quite still, shown without dirt, traffic or people.

He was made an honorary Fellow of the Royal Institute of British Architects in 1990, the only contemporary painter to be so honoured, for his contribution to the public understanding of contemporary architecture. Indeed, much of his work has been commissioned by architects.

For several years Ben has been working on a series of paintings of cities. Those completed so far included representations of Paris, Hong Kong, Jerusalem, Zurich and Chicago.

Ben tells us about 'The Liverpool Cityscape'

'My brief was to create a panoramic portrait of the city of Liverpool to act as an icon in the year 2008. It would also be an historic document celebrating Liverpool’s year as European Capital of Culture. Liverpool’s existing buildings were to be portrayed together with the buildings that have been designed and will be completed within this period, or landmark buildings upon which work had started. The painting was to stand alone as an independent art work and act as a catalyst for other community events and projects during the year of 2008 - events that would put the people back into the painting: an important factor, as my cities are unpopulated.

Following six weeks of investigations into views, and studying individual buildings, it was clear to me that the River Mersey and the Three Graces would occupy points of great significance in the painting. The two other important symbols helping to define the skyline of Liverpool are the two cathedrals. Therefore my proposal embraced a view taken from a spot over the Mersey six hundred and fifty metres back from the Cunard Building and one hundred and eighty metres above sea level. This is a near bird’s eye view. The central direction of the painting is looking slightly north of east.

This view covers one hundred and seventy hectares (or 1,700,000 square metres) of buildings with an angle of view of sixty two degrees. The boundary on the left hand side is Chapel Street/Tithebarn Street up to Everton and that on the right hand side is the Albert Docks up to the Anglican Cathedral. This is the area of concentrated drawing and description that are starting to form the bulk of the painting. It will include the whole of the world heritage site, the area covered in the 1990 Liverpool heritage walk, the majority of the buildings dealt with in the Pevsner’s Architectural Guide, the new Paradise Street development and of course the Museum of Liverpool.

The painting will be, in fact, a collection of many thousands of miniatures, where as much attention is paid to the simplest industrial warehouse as to the most ambitious ecclesiastical building.'

External links
Ben Johnson's website
Voice of calm: Ben Johnson's haunting cityscapes, The Guardian




Here is his website:

http://www.benjohnsonartist.com/benjohnsonartist.htm

I can't wait to see it, it already looks utterly fantastic.

looks great :)

It almost looked like a photograph when I saw it in the echo,it looks fantastic.

http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/d/v/t/BJ_working_on_Liverpool_cit.jpg

Ben Johnson at work on his Liverpool cityscape

Ben Johnson’s architectural portrait of Liverpool celebrates the city’s status as European Capital of Culture in 2008. The 2.5m by 5m panoramic, which has been three years in the making, depicts 170ha of the city from a near bird’s-eye perspective. It will be accompanied by Johnson’s paintings of other cities including Chicago, Jerusalem and Hong Kong.

May 24-November 2
Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool

www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk

Why has it taken him 3 years to do a pano? With all the developments currently on the go in the City, won't the final piece look outdated?

Sorry, but I'm underwhelmed:ohno:

I strongly suspect that he will have included the latest (if not some future) developments... he does work for architects after all...

I strongly suspect that he will have included the latest (if not some future) developments... he does work for architects after all...
LOL! I strongly suspect not so:)
I've seen his work in progress:ohno:

he's left a space for some of the newer developments like mann island, the museum, one park west... but I'm also disappointed that he hasn't included anything to the left of the st nicks/ liver building

Nation Museums Liverpool have a flickr page - dunno if im allowed to post these or not.. oh well:-
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2392/1885485289_9e54565c73_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2004/2165920900_26c094df8e_b.jpg

Well i'm very impressed even if parts are missed off.

Sorry Chris and Juxt,
I sounded like a bit of twat there. It's an amazing piece of work.

Sorry Chris and Juxt,
I sounded like a bit of twat there. It's an amazing piece of work.

face it dave, you are a bit of a twat anyway... that's why I love you so much :)

This is not a realistic depiction of Liverpool. The clocks have no hands and there is no SSC photographer on the roof of the MSCP. :nuts: Seriously though, this one piece of art that I am looking forward to more than any other. :cheers:

Why has it taken him 3 years to do a pano? With all the developments currently on the go in the City, won't the final piece look outdated?

Sorry, but I'm underwhelmed:ohno:

adman, oh ye of little faith, he`s had Nigel Lee holding his step ladder :lol:

face it dave, you are a bit of a twat anyway... that's why I love you so much :)
Tis true:kiss:

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff164/evertonia8/wap1.jpg
This is pat of a city wide etching from the 1860's.The detail and accuracy is incredible.

All the landmarks are there including the distinctive shape of the Baltic Fleet,Heaps Mill,the unfinished Gambier terrace,all to scale.

That is a quite fabulous depiction of 19th Century Liverpool. Do you know who the artist is or, if the original still exists, where it can be seen? It would be interesting to see this alongside Johnson's work. Cheers GV. :cheers:

It would be interesting to see a range of cityscapes from the 18th century onwards being exhibited alongside this one in order to get a sense of the evolving city.

snap :)

snap :)

Great minds....:lol:

That is a quite fabulous depiction of 19th Century Liverpool. Do you know who the artist is or, if the original still exists, where it can be seen? It would be interesting to see this alongside Johnson's work. Cheers GV. :cheers:

It's incredible.It's a 4 foot panorama of the city from Bank Hall to Dingle.I've got some sections (copies) the originals sell for about £250.I can't remember the name of the artist to hand. I'll check it out.

I have a 6ft x 8 inches copy of it published by the Scouse Press.

The artists were Jackson and Sulman and they employed telescopes as well as photographs.

What is amazing is the number of windmills dotted around Liverpool and the churches in outlying villages yet to become part of the city.

I have a 6ft x 8 inches copy of it published by the Scouse Press.

The artists were Jackson and Sulman and they employed telescopes as well as photographs.

Yes,same place,Scouse Press.

Thanks Baba, GV. :cheers:

Here's something similar:

http://img118.imageshack.us/img118/6915/liverpoolmuseumwallpapehr8.jpg

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff164/evertonia8/city.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff164/evertonia8/sk106-1.jpg
Not quite the same detail

Class^^

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff164/evertonia8/scot.jpg
http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/ff164/evertonia8/scot2.jpg
Scotland rd,Everton and Kirkdale,with the windmills Babaloo mentions. The Everton Lock up and Waterworks are just visible

That is an amazing panorama, carried out from a tethered hot air balloon. I think that what the artists did was to accurately draw the major landmarks and the road system and then fill in with some artistic licence. St Georges Hall, for example, is drawn to a larger scale than the buildings in St John's Lane. All the same, the level of detail is incredible and they must have spent some weeks in the balloon.

Apparently, the only major alteration to the street layout in the city centre since that time is the addition of Victoria Street.

That is an amazing panorama, carried out from a tethered hot air balloon. I think that what the artists did was to accurately draw the major landmarks and the road system and then fill in with some artistic licence. St Georges Hall, for example, is drawn to a larger scale than the buildings in St John's Lane. All the same, the level of detail is incredible and they must have spent some weeks in the balloon.

Apparently, the only major alteration to the street layout in the city centre since that time is the addition of Victoria Street.

Correct Martin. The survey was done in the early 1860's,Victoria St was laid out very soon after. It's a superb visual record of the city at the time.

There is a two page colour spread in the Mail on Sunday today showing Ben Johnson and his team working on the cityscape

Here are some pics from The Mail:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=507951&in_page_id=1770

Liverpool has most of the city covered in 3d detail on Virtual Earth, have tried London, Manchester, Paris etc and they only seem to have limited or no landmarks shown.

For some reason the top of St Johns beacon has not been added yet...!

3D Liverpool on Virtual Earth here (http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v=2&cp=53.401206~-2.992143&style=h&lvl=19&tilt=-14.2876733644804&dir=33.965744214273&alt=145.780826892704&cam=53.399708~-2.993831&scene=-1&encType=1)

Watch the completion of a masterpiece


Artist Ben Johnson is completing his stunning painting The Liverpool Cityscape in front of a live audience from 28 January to 7 March 2008.

The internationally-renowned artist who has been working on The Liverpool Cityscape for over 3 years will be putting the finishing touches to the masterpiece when he takes up position as artist-in-residence at the Walker Art Gallery.

The painting covers nearly 170,000 hectares and boasts over a thousand buildings. Featured landmarks include the Three Graces at the Pier Head, Liverpool's two Cathedrals, the two football stadia and much more.

A series of public talks by the artist run throughout the residency, please visit National Museums Liverpool or call the information desk on 0151 478 4199 for more details.

Admission is free and the gallery is open from 10am to 5pm every day.

:cheers:

Stunning new view of city
Jan 28 2008 by Catherine Jones, Liverpool Echo

IT FEATURES more than 1,000 Liverpool buildings and is the most ambitious painting of Liverpool ever attempted.

Ben Johnson’s stunning Liverpool Cityscape arrived at the Walker art gallery today.

But the 8ft by 16ft painting is still not quite finished.

Now people can see the artist at work as he sets up his studio in the William Brown Street gallery and spends the next six weeks completing the epic work.

It will go on show from May 24 to November 2 at the gallery and eventually on permanent display at the new Museum of Liverpool.

This was shown on NWT earlier.Also showed the views from the Panoramic Restaurant due to open this friday in west tower. superb views.:cheers:

can watch it again here at the end of the show.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/northwesttonight/

New webcam to view Johnson's panorama in its final stages of completion at the Walker.

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/collections/liverpoolcityscape/webcam/

New webcam to view Johnson's panorama in its final stages of completion at the Walker.

http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/walker/collections/liverpoolcityscape/webcam/

Just checked it... he's slacking off! :ohno:

Just checked it... he's slacking off! :ohno:

Ben's not as fast as he used to be:...;)
cCh5QswxQ6k

He seems to have knocked the stage plays on the head too:

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/I/4131307891L.jpg

One of the most interesting things about this painting is that it will show buildings that won't be complete when the painting is finished.

It therefore provides a useful panorama of how the new Mersey Ferries terminal, Museum of Liverpool, Mann Island developments etc will look.

I was surprised at how well the Mann Island developments fitted into the cityscape. (The Museum of Liverpool had not been completed when I went and they were drawing in the canal).

Definitely worth a visit, and Ben is quite chatty at times. It can be a bit busy during school visits.

One of the most interesting things about this painting is that it will show buildings that won't be complete when the painting is finished.

It therefore provides a useful panorama of how the new Mersey Ferries terminal, Museum of Liverpool, Mann Island developments etc will look.

I was surprised at how well the Mann Island developments fitted into the cityscape. (The Museum of Liverpool had not been completed when I went and they were drawing in the canal).

Definitely worth a visit, and Ben is quite chatty at times. It can be a bit busy during school visits.

He's certainly getting a move on now. I was there Wednesday and he hadn't even started the Museum. I'll be going again over the weekend so I'll pop my head in.

I felt that the Mann Island buildings were somewhat overwhelming due to its blackness and the slope of the roof but I believe that was largely due to the elevation of the viewers perspective and they will sit ultimately nicely in the location.

I agree that it is well worth a visit and Ben is great particularly with the kids. I was told that he was initially reluctant to come here and complete it in front of an audience. Dificult to believe that now with how relaxed he appears to be.

ups

From today's DP

Artist unveils Liverpool's new cityscape

Apr 29 2008 by Vicky Anderson, Liverpool Daily Post

*pretty shit pic of Ben's panorama*

THIS is the first look at the completed Liverpool Cityscape. Artist Ben Johnson’s stunning 16ft x 8ft panorama of the city will go on display at the Walker art gallery, alongside his complex paintings of other world-renowned cities, from May 24.

The Cityscape, which takes in nearly 1,000 of the city centre’s major buildings and some of those further afield such as the football stadiums, is the result of three years of work, which until some weeks ago he had been completing as the public came to watch him and his team at the Walker.

It was completed under wraps so those who had been following its progress would be surprised by the finished product.

Llandudno-born and London-based Johnson said: “I’m looking forward to seeing people’s reactions. In the last two weeks I put in the new Museum of Liverpool, finished off the Pier Head and put back some of the statues I thought people would like to see – just pulling it all together.

“Almost the very last thing I did was the Liver Birds. It was always my intention that would be the last thing, because they are so symbolic of Liverpool because of the mythology of the birds that if they ever leave the building the city will disappear. I wanted to make sure that if ever the paint were to fade, the last thing to fade would be the Liver Birds.”

About 45,000 people went to the Walker to see Johnson work on the Cityscape.

He was even lent an artistic hand by the great and the good of Liverpool, with Lord Mayor Cllr Paul Clark adding the hands on the clock on the Municipal Building to read 12.07 (marking the 800th birthday of the city) and Phil and Alexis Redmond, who commissioned the painting with National Museums Liverpool (NML) and the Culture Company, adding the time on the Liver Building to read 20.08 to mark Capital of Culture year.

Johnson paid tribute to his 28 Liverpool volunteers, who gave their time to help explain the work to the public and who even ended up pitching in on the piece.

He said: “I have had such wonderful responses from people who just really feel something for the painting. There was hardly any antagonism or questioning it. Most people realised what it was – a celebration of the city of Liverpool. It was so amazing to hear the conversations that would start up between people who were absolute strangers but left almost as friends – it was a very good experience opening the gallery. It confirms my own belief that art is not a selfish activity, and is something that belongs to the wider community.”

The work took Johnson and his seven full-time assistants, including wife Sheila, three years “and about five days”.

The complex process used precise stencils of intricate computer-generated drawings of buildings to mark the canvas.

Johnson is also pleased with the comprehensive outreach programme of activities planned for the community by NML and will be returning on a number of occasions to give talks.

“I was working on the project 100% of the time, and now it feels rather odd – like when the last of your children leaves home and the house suddenly seems very quiet. But I’m fortunate to be able to visit Liverpool a lot and I really feel it is like a second, spiritual home.”

The exhibition, Ben Johnson’s Liverpool Cityscape 2008 and the World Panorama Series, will run until November 2.

As well as Johnson’s work, the exhibition will include a small selection of historic views of Liverpool, demonstrating the long-standing tradition into which the new cityscape fits.

In making The Liverpool Cityscape he took more than 3000 reference photographs, considered alternative viewpoints, consulted architects and historians, as well as the people of Liverpool, and absorbed the city’s atmosphere.

Thousands of detailed drawings were produced before the execution of the image in minute detail.

Of the collection, Johnson says it will be the “first and possibly only time” these paintings will be in the same place. It is really very difficult to do when you have got to borrow from very private collectors, like the one lending the painting of Zurich. A very prominent collector and philanthropist is lending the painting of Jerusalem, who commissioned it to focus on uniting the three faiths of the city.The Hong Kong picture is being lent by the Chinese government, so I am very lucky everybody has been so generous.”

After the exhibition, the Liverpool Cityscape will go on permanent exhibition in the new Museum of Liverpool.



The exhibition sounds unmissable.