Matthew Johnston “Working Man / Working Woman” Mixed-Media Diptych, 1993

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Large-scale original mixed-media diptych by Alexandria, Virginia artist Matthew Johnston, created in 1993 and among the earliest works in his … Read more Large-scale original mixed-media diptych by Alexandria, Virginia artist Matthew Johnston, created in 1993 and among the earliest works in his ongoing Working Man/Woman series.

In direct correspondence regarding this pair, Johnston identified the works as “one of the first diptychs” that began the Working Man/Woman series. Inspired by relationships, the series explores two figures occupying their own individual spaces while remaining connected as a couple. Johnston intentionally cropped the faces so the figures would not read as specific portraits, allowing viewers to imagine themselves within the compositions.

The artist has described the medium as acrylic, pencil, pastel, ink, and reverse Xerox transfer. The densely worked monochromatic passages contrast with expressive areas of saturated color, reflecting a period when Johnston was moving from predominantly black-and-white lithographic work toward greater use of color. Johnston has also explained that imagery in the background derives from a Chinese screen that remains in his collection.

The series subsequently evolved into the figure diptychs Johnston continues to create today, including later works commissioned as portraits of individual clients. Of this 1993 pair, Johnston wrote that it is “a piece which initiated the pieces which I still do today.”

Each work is signed and dated 1993 and retains its original artist/gallery label. The pair was conceived and originally offered together as a diptych for $3,200 in 1993.

With each panel measuring more than four feet high and the pair spanning approximately seven feet when installed, the diptych has a compelling large-scale presence. See less