Peaces of John

Post Staff Report

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Dec 18, 2013

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“Power to the People” (1976) “What’s great about this image is that it has power and it tells John’s story [of immigration struggle]. When he drew that he was very aware of what he was saying.”

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“Peace Brother” (1979) “I love this one because there’s an incredible sense of humor there and it expresses his love of his son [Sean],” says Ono. “It has a light feeling, but the more you look at it, the more you get out of it. Look at the balloon that Sean is holding — it’s [oblong], and that reminds me how John didn’t like to conform to rules, even the rules about drawing round balloons.”

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“He Tried to Face Reality” (1979) (not on display) “Isn’t this the best? I can’t look at it and not laugh because it was just so true to his life,” Ono says. “It reminds me how easy it was for John to laugh at himself.”

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John Lennon and Yoko Ono worked for peace at a Toronto bed-in in 1969. REUTERS

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“Bag One” (1969) “You look at this one and think it’s so simple, until you try and do something like it yourself,” says Ono. “If I was going to compare the style to another artist, it reminds me of Picasso. That was one of John’s later works; as he went on his lines became simpler and bolder.”

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“Imagine All the People” (1977) (not on display) “This is a tribute to woman power. The first time I saw this image, [it] wasn’t this version. John and I were friendly, but we weren’t together yet, and he sent me a letter that included a drawing of me naked sitting on a globe. It made me blush. I thought ‘My God, this man was thinking of me naked.’ I think it was an announcement of his intent.”

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