These twenty-six paintings were published in 1995 by Viking Books, New York, NY, titled “Alphabet City.” Each work was created between the years 1993-1995 using pastels, watercolor, gouache and charcoal on hot press watercolor paper. Sizes range from 21 x 26 inches to 22 x 33 inches.
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Since childhood, I have been drawn to the particular energy one senses in the people, sounds, and structures, old and new, that constitute a city.
The idea for “Alphabet City” came to me while I was walking along city streets in NYC. I noticed an ornamental keystone that looked like the letter S. Then suddenly, I saw the letter A in a construction sawhorse and the letter Z in fire-escapes. At that moment, it became clear that in urban compositions I could discover the elements that form the letters of the alphabet.
Building “Alphabet City” required self-imposed guidelines. All letters had to be capital letters, found in their natural positions, out-of-doors or in public spaces such as the subway, readily accessible to anyone who looks carefully at our urban world at various time so day, and during the cycle of the seasons. There are no right or wrong solutions to finding letters in a city, only pleasurable ones. Some letters are obvious, while others, more subtle, come to light through a closer look.
I hope that my paintings will inspire children and adults to look at their surroundings in a fresh and playful way. In doing so they will discover for themselves juxtaposition of scale, harmonies of shadows, rhythms, colorful patterns in surface textures, and joy in the most somber aspects of a city, by transcending the mundane and unearthing its hidden beauty.
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“The 26 paintings by Stephen T. Johnson in Alphabet City must be the most beautiful set of images in a children’s book since Chris Van Allsburg’s Polar Express appeared a decade ago. From the sawhorse that forms an “A” to the fire escape that makes a “Z,” every one of these richly colored full pages is a pleasure to behold.” — Paul Goldberger, The New York Times Book Review
“Celebrating the lines, curves and shapes of the letters, Johnson elevates the alphabet into art… A visual tour de force, Johnson’s ingenious alphabet book transcends the genre by demanding close inspection of not just letters, but the world.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review
“The pictorial equivalents of “found poetry,” the twenty-six-studies command attention and encourage readers to conduct similar explorations of their own. All are imaginative, stimulating, and striking. A book to savor again and again.” — Horn Book Magazine, starred review
“I went into a bookstore, and I found a book [Alphabet City] that I just fell in love with. Very very cleverly done.” — Charles Gibson, Good Morning America, ABC Television
“A thoroughly original look at the alphabet, exactly the way it appears to children in an urban landscape. This simple yet astonishing book invites parents and children to find the hidden letters in everyday surroundings.” — Parents Magazine, A Parents Pick of the Year
“The Library of Congress cataloged Alphabet City as “juvenile literature,” which will probably do nothing to keep grow-ups from filching their kids’ copies of the book. Artist Stephen T. Johnson “built” his city by finding capital letters in lampposts, fire escapes, the Brooklyn Bridge, even negative space and rendering them stunningly with pastels, watercolors, gouache, and charcoal.” — Linda Hall, New York Magazine
“This is not only a beautiful book, but one that transforms the way we view the world.” — Hungry Mind Review, A 1996 Children’s Book of Distinction Award
A CALDECOTT HONOR BOOK
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST ILLUSTRATED BOOK OF THE YEAR
A GOLD MEDAL FROM THE SOCIETY OF ILLUSTRATORS