Barbara von Johnson
Barbara Johnson ( b. 1942 in Munich ) is a German illustrator and artist and is considered the first designer of the visual appearance of the fairy-tale character Pumuckl, a leprechaun, which she designed based on a story by Ellis Kaut in a competition.
Life
The artist, mother of three sons, lives and works in Munich and Greece.
From 1962 to 1966 she trained as a commercial artist, but also regularly visited the Summer Academy in Salzburg, where she took with Oskar Kokoschka, among others, watercolor courses. At the age of 21, she won the by Ellis Kaut in Munich advertised at the Academy of Graphic Arts Competition for visualizing Pumuckl.
Until 1978, she illustrated Pumuckl ten books and 33 record covers. She has also drawn as a children's book illustrator and school about 20 children's books, 28 textbooks, five games, 24 workbooks and many illustrations in their time for children's magazines. In 1983, Barbara Johnson worked mainly as a freelance artist. She completed an education in art therapy and numerous training courses and study tours.
Since 1990 she created paintings, objets d'art and photographic works, taking the boundaries between these art forms dissolves repeatedly in their works. Some works are characterized by the fact that in the transition zone between graphics and painting will be explored. This often pictorial composition of surfaces are overlaid by elements of caricature or structured, reminiscent of the early work of graphic Johnson.
Pumuckl
Barbara Johnson illustrated 1963-1978 Ellis Kauts Pumuckl stories and also designed color illustrations for corresponding record sleeves. According to Daniel Barbara Johnson has no more influence on the graphic design of the Pumuckl since 1992. Some years after the first Pumuckl film ( production 1979-1982 ) the goblin was then drawn for merchandising purposes of Ellis Kauts son Brian Bagnall.
Litigation
Barbara Johnson describes herself as a mother of optical Pumuckl. As such, it was forgotten. She reached in 2003 through the legal system a right to be called at each optical representation of Pumuckl as the author of the graphic model. Not their consent was also in the production of the first Pumuckl game film in Pumuckl TV and in the use of the figure on the Internet against copyright apparently been obtained, so that it partly out of court, partly through the legal system could make a corresponding Nachvergütung contends, 2006. In 2007, she was sued in turn by Ellis Kaut, because she had in a local painting competition for children looking for " a girlfriend for Pumuckl " in which Ellis Kaut saw an infringement of copyright. The courts ruled, however, in favor of Barbara Johnson.
Criticism
The displeasure of the Pumuckl fans caught the fact that Barbara Johnson's attorney to protect the copyright of his client in an effort to the operator for several Pumuckl fansites abmahnte which showed Pumuckl illustrations without the mandatory indication of the author.
Works (selection)
Children's Books
- Tales from the Orient, Keysersche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 1970
- Nonsense picture book and Quasselquatsch, games, Sellierverlag, 1973
- Hannes and the magic hat, Ludwig Auer Verlag, 1973
- The car scavenger of Knatterburg, Thienemann Verlag, 1973
- From the Civil mayor, Sellierverlag, 1974
- All children go to school, Sauerland Verlag, 1976
- Nursery Nursery, Sauerland Verlag, 1980
- Mess, Sellierverlag, 1981
Textbooks
- We read, Oldenbourg Verlag, 1970
- Learning images, Mitspielbücher, 1-6, Herder Verlag, 1972
- To school safely, ADAC Verlag, Munich, 1971
- I learn to read, 1 and 2, Oldenbourg Verlag, 1973 and 1974
- The Breakaways, Lurz / Schöningh Verlag, 1976
- The rioters, Lurz / Schöningh Verlag, 1976
- My music book, grade 2-4, Oldenbourg Verlag, 1976-1978
- Language lives, fibulae, grade 2-4, Oldenbourg Verlag, 1982
- Treasure Chest, language game, year 2, Oldenbourg Verlag, 1992