Carl Sagan, eminent astronomer and populariser of science once said, “Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it we go nowhere.” His words ring true in the atmospheric art of John Harris, whose illustrations have been featured in both science and science-fiction media for over thirty years. His book covers have given visual life to the narratives of Isaac Asimov, Orson Scott Card, Arthur C. Clarke, and many others. Harris has also worked as an official artist for NASA, and in 1985 he created Aftermath, T + 60, which was inspired by the organisation’s shuttle program. His most recent work, Beyond the Horizon is a dazzling collection of his futuristic concept art.
The Custodian: How would you define “imaginative realism”?
John Harris: Art which gives a convincing pictorial reality to an entirely imagined world.
C: If you could name three paintings that most inspired you, what would they be?
J: The base from which I began my career as a painter was very broad, including the full canon of European painting, and I loved the whole lot. So this is a pretty difficult question to answer. Different artists and their work had different effects upon me and all immeasurably enriched my own aspirations. Some, such as Turner, Rembrandt, and Goya, with the way they painted. Others, such as the Surrealists, Max Ernst, Magritte, and De Chirico, with their poetic visions.
So it was the work of these artists, and others, generally, which inspired me rather than any single paintings. But since you’ve asked, here are three of my favourite pieces.
These choices might be a surprise to some, but as you can see, there is a certain mood common to them all, which is difficult to quantify. There is a silence to them all, a strange and elusive quality, which I value very highly. And if I produce even one piece in my life that shuts down the inner dialogue of the observer, as I believe these can do, I shall feel I have contributed something to the culture.
C: In your artwork you’ve got beautiful alien worlds with breathtaking landscapes, floating cities, and titanic cargo ships. Everything seems as if it could very well exist one day, and that’s why I’m curious about whether or not you’ve been influenced by speculative discourse on intergalactic civilisations and transhumanism.
At the same time, there’s also a mystic quality to your art, and you definitely give substance to all the scientific theories on the grandeur, diversity, and depth of life in the universe. Even before sci-fi, humanity has always been enraptured by “higher realms” such as Atlantis, Avalon, and Shamballa. Do you ever find yourself thinking that worlds similar to the ones you’ve created or read about might actually exist?
J: These two questions (3 and 4) seem to be one really, so I’ll treat them as such.
I have always felt, as long as I can remember, that we have come from somewhere else, maybe transformed or mutated in some way to fit snugly in our present place on Earth. In the words of one modern seer, we humans reek of mystery, and somewhere in our DNA there may be clues to that. But what I’m fairly certain of is this: the Universe is a very large place indeed, and if we can imagine it, there is probably some world where what we have imagined, really does exist.
C: During your six-year meditation retreat in India, did you have one amazing experience that you’ll never be able to erase from your mental canvas?
J: Several, and they were in many ways, instrumental in the development of my imagery. But without wishing to be coy, I feel they were specific to me. What was communicable to others may already be seen in the paintings, anyway.
C: Have you ever served as an artistic or visual consultant on any films, video games, or television shows?
J: Very occasionally, I’ve had small involvement in the visual development of a film, but nothing of any real consequence. It seems I work best in isolation drawing on my own resources, outside the context of other people’s vision. That’s not to say I couldn’t or wouldn’t work with others. It just hasn’t worked out that way.
C: What’s next? Any exhibitions or projects that you’re working on?
J: Yes, I have the ongoing journey of the artist travelling through an unknown region, as is shown in my new book, which continues to elicit new images from me, and I have the regular exhibition with Illuxcon (or the Symposium of Imaginative Realism to give it its posh name) in the US.