Name/Title
Frontal Street SceneEntry/Object ID
1871.Pr07Description
Five men stride towards you in a line. They are dressed identically in suits and brimmed hats. Each figure, a near clone of the next, fades into the other. The quintet seemingly operates as one entity rather than as individuals. In the movement of abstract figurative expressionism, Lester Johnson paints his "Frontal Street Scene."
Critics commented on the early works of Lester Johnson, identifying a Bertolt Brecht-like portrayal of the human masses. Theatre practitioner and playwright Bertolt Brecht posed the theory that humans are not isolated entities, but products of their social and historical context. Through this interpretation, with their automatic, robotic unison, the five figures of Johnson’s "Frontal Street Scene" represent the lemmings of social authority. By reminding oneself of the parallels with Brecht’s commentary on humans, Johnson’s figures take on the identity and context of the viewer's perception of society as a whole.
Additionally, Johnson’s work toyed with the concept of finding a balance between appearance and disappearance. By adorning matching attire, the five figures' individual identities disappear. A mass appears, and group-think forms. Well known for his use of the distancing effect, Brecht implemented techniques to ensure audiences could not emotionally identify with the characters of his plays. Without the emotional distraction, audiences were left to contemplate and further analyze the social commentary Brecht made. The same practice occurs here. The identity of the five figures, unknown, therefore changes with the experiences of the viewer. Johnson’s figures take on the role of the imposers of the societal pressures feared in all previous and subsequent pieces. They are the mask dealers, standing on the street corner, selling conformity.Acquisition
Accession
1871Acquisition Method
GiftCredit Line
Gift of Dick and Judy Wurtman, 2007Inscription/Signature/Marks
Type
SignatureNotes
Signed LRDimensions
Dimension Description
SightHeight
22 inWidth
29-1/2 inDimension Description
FinishedHeight
24-1/4 inWidth
31-3/4 inExhibition
Go Figure: Selections from the Permanent Collection