Drivers who are done with the fast on-track life of F1 mostly get into broadcasting to stay in the sport, or use their brand image to set up a business post-retirement. But other than Stefan Johansson, no one has taken a career as distinct as painting after hanging up their helmets.
This is the story of the former Ferrari driver who competed at the highest level of motorsports for 10 seasons between 1980 and 1991. But why did Johansson take up painting? The answer is much deeper than: ‘It was his passion’.
It was actually to cope with the loss of one of his dearest friends, as he revealed in a recent interview with Gazzetta.
Elio De Angelis, who was very close to the Swede, passed away in a fatal racing accident at Circuit Paul Ricard in 1986, and it forever changed Johansson’s life. Talking about taking painting up, he said, “Yes, it had never crossed my mind.”
“When Elio passed away I thought I had to do something to remember him; it was the first time I lost a true friend in racing and it had affected me,” he continued. “I felt bad. So, as soon as I got home, I bought canvas, colors, and brushes and it was as if lightning had struck me. Since then I have never stopped“.
Johansson did not stop his F1 career and continued taking part in other ventures, even after leaving the series. He made a name for himself in IndyCar, and also the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which he won in 1997. However, the brush never left the canvas. Today, he is a highly regarded artist.
What is Johansson’s style of painting?
Most painters have a style they usually follow to express what they want via their art. When asked what his style was, Johansson replied, “Pointillism at the moment, also because I have a lot of orders… But usually, I do figurative art“.
Pointillism is a highly skilled form of painting, wherein an artist applies small dots or strokes in patterns to form an image. Johansson further revealed that whatever came to his head, he tried and depicted in his painting. And perhaps what was most interesting was the comparisons he made between painting and driving.
“There’s a connection between painting and driving; you need total concentration and it creates a flow, a kind of meditation,” he explained. “With art, it’s more complicated; I didn’t start as a boy like with racing, sometimes I spend hours on the canvas, and then suddenly everything flows“.
Johansson concluded by stating that he currently has two studios — one in London and another in Los Angeles. Since he does not have much of a social life, he uses his time to paint. A post-racing career unlike anyone else’s.
