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JohanKohlinArtPortfolio

Look up I

Discover Johan Kohlin’s minimalist acrylic study inspired by Laurent Lavergne. Look Up" is an 80x100cm acrylic painting. An extreme perspective looks through dark overpass structures toward a brilliant, healing light

A minimalist geometric acrylic painting titled "Look up I" by Johan Kohlin, inspired by a photo by Laurent Lavergne. The composition features a massive, smooth expanse of vibrant cyan sky that dominates the frame. In the lower left corner, the sharp, hard-edged corner of a man-made structure cuts into the space, displaying bold horizontal bands of bright white and deep crimson red over a warm, tan underside. A single, subtle streak of reddish rust bleeds down the top white band, showing nature's quiet intervention on a pristine, box-shaped human creation.
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The Cycle of Refinement and Restoration

In this graphic acrylic study, a practice painting inspired by a photograph by Laurent Lavergne, the focus shifts from the expressive movement of internal landscapes to the stark, clean geometry of human engineering. The composition isolates a single, box-shaped architectural intersection against an endless sky, prompting a deeper philosophical reflection on the materials we take from the earth and our endless effort to keep them separate from it.

Hard Edges vs. Natural Reclamation

The power of the piece lies in its immense restraint and the deliberate tension between perfect, manufactured lines and the subtle, inevitable intervention of the elements.

  • The Cyan Void: A massive, unyielding field of vibrant cyan dominates the canvas. Far from being empty space, this smooth, intense blue represents the vastness of the natural world, pinning the man-made structure to the lower corner.
  • The Refined Box: Slicing into the frame is a bold, geometric overhang defined by striking, pristine bands of bright white and deep crimson red. It stands as a symbol of human manufacturing, sharp, calculated, and entirely unnatural in its straightness.
  • The Grounded Underside: Below the crimson face, a warm, muted tan tone framed by a thin green trim anchors the structure, offering a quiet, earthly contrast to the brilliant sky. And someone decided to hide something there as well…
  • The Streak of Truth: Breaking the otherwise perfect, graphic precision is a singular, subtle streak of reddish rust bleeding down the top white band. It serves as a quiet visual thesis for the entire work, a testament to the fact that without constant human maintenance, the environment will always begin the slow process of reclaiming what was taken from it.

Technique & Medium

Executed with smooth, flat applications of acrylic paint, this work trades raw, textured brushwork for crisp lines and uniform color fields. The sharp contrast between the massive, minimalist sky and the hard-angled architectural lines showcases a meticulous control of balance, scale, and graphic perspective.

Artist's Reflection

"Humans dig up, cut down and carve out from nature
and then we refine these things in so many steps
and then we combine these things in so many ways
and then we create box-shaped objects in various colors
and then we place them back into nature
and if we don’t wash, and polish, and repaint these objects over and over nature will try to restore their natural fit."

Title: Look up I

Artist: Johan Kohlin (Inspired by a photo by Laurent Lavergne)

Medium: Acrylic on canvas