The Artistic Journey of Ynez Johnston
Ynez Johnston was an American painter, sculptor, printmaker, and educator. Born in Berkeley, United States, she earned her bachelor of fine arts in 1941 from the University of California, Berkeley. Her early career included living and working in Mexico until 1943, and she later moved to Los Angeles in 1949. Her visual language was characterized by mixed-media compositions that often featured ambiguous, semi-abstract figures, plants, animals, and architectural forms within mythical landscapes. She primarily worked in painting, often incising calligraphic lines onto the surface of her works. Her printmaking practice encompassed intaglio, woodblock printing, and lithography, and she also created collaborative wood sculptures with her husband, John Berry.
Exhibitions and Recognition
Throughout her career, Johnston's work was presented in numerous exhibitions, including a solo exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Art in 1943 and a presentation at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She exhibited with various Los Angeles galleries between 1947 and 1949 and was included in a 1950-1951 New Talent exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Her work has been featured in many museum collections, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Her notable works include:
Questions & Answers
Can I study Ynez Johnston's use of color across all works?
The Palette Genome of Ynez Johnston is a page that presents the color profile of the artist's body of work.
Can I browse Ynez Johnston's works by color palette?
The By Palettes page groups Ynez Johnston's artworks by their color palettes.
How many artworks by Ynez Johnston are available to browse?
You can browse 1 artwork by Ynez Johnston on the All Artworks page.
Is there a chronological account of Ynez Johnston?
A chronological account of Ynez Johnston's work is available on the artist's Chronicle page, where the artworks pass in order of creation, chapter by chapter.
