Lennon wanted the world to see his art and to recognize him as an artist, according to a release from his widow, Yoko Ono.
To fulfill that wish, Ono's Bag One Arts Inc. and Legacy Productions collaborated to produce "In My Life: The Artwork of John Lennon," an exhibition of Lennon's artwork that was displayed at The Sheraton Chapel Hill Hotel from Friday until Sunday.
Ono was not present. Ken French, spokesman for Legacy Productions, said Ono chooses not to appear at the exhibits because it tends to draw viewers' attention away from the art.
Pieces on display included Lennon's sketches and song lyrics, most of them reproduced in the form of lithographs, serigraphs and etchings. Ono added color to several of the drawings after Lennon's death.
Completed by Lennon between 1969-80, the drawings beautifully chronicled his life with Ono and their son, Sean. Each piece included below it a brief description explaining its meaning and story drawn from Lennon's diaries and from Bag One Inc.
Though the subjects of the drawings ranged from Lennon and Oko's wedding to his relationship with son Sean to his thoughts on peace, they were clearly unified by a single feature: the simplicity in which Lennon was able to express a grand concept.
For example, Lennon was able to capture his devotion to teaching peace with the 1979 piece, "Peace on Earth." This stripped-down sketch, in which Lennon drew himself as a giant with his head in clouds, looked like it might have belonged in a children's book.
And "Real Love: Drawings for Sean," a series of 15 drawings done by Lennon with his son, uses childlike drawings of animals to teach him lessons.
Ono added color to all drawings in this series.
