The Liverpool Cityscape archive

Ben Johnson makes meticulous paintings of architecture and cities. These drawings are all 1,572 of the preparatory studies for his painting 'The Liverpool Cityscape' commissioned by National Museums Liverpool and hanging in the Walker Art Gallery. The painting became an iconic image for European Capital of Culture 2008. JohnsonÂ’s preparation for the painting was a complex process in which these ink drawings were integral. Johnson and his studio team used a computer to make the drawings in digital format using the skills of traditional draughtsmanship. The drawings were also the starting point for the thousands of stencils through which Johnson sprayed his paint.