Artist's Statement: Russell Marshall on John Lennon posing in his New York t-shirt in 1974

This article originally appeared on Culture24.

Russell Marshall headed to New York for a new print of John Lennon, appearing as part of a 'bed-in' in London

“In the summer of ’74, rock and roll was still king. John Lennon had just recorded what would soon become his first US number 1 solo hit, Whatever gets you Through the Night.

New York had been the former Beatle’s home for more than three years. It was here that he met and became friends with Bob Gruen, the legendary music photographer.

That August, on a plain city rooftop, Gruen took a picture of Lennon wearing a New York City t-shirt – a photograph destined to become one of the most iconic rock and roll images of all time. With Gruen and Yoko Ono’s blessing, I’ve been able to take this image and create my own tribute to Lennon on what would have been his 75th birthday.

Screenprinting is a beautiful combination of the mechanics of the photographic transfer and the creativity of the artist’s touch. The real skill lies in the hours of preparation before putting ink on paper.

The actual printing process can be extremely quick. I wanted to take Bob’s image and make it larger than life.

I’ve chosen subtle colours that retain an element of the original print. The pearl and blue give the print a modern look but a retro feel. The newspaper-style halftone effect complements that retro feel.

For me, this image has always been what I see when I close my eyes and think of Lennon. Lennon is a true icon: his music captured a generation and his influence continues to inspire to this day. And while his lyrics will have many meanings to many people, to me his message was simple: be yourself and be anything you want.

There are maybe a handful of iconic images that define a place, a time, a sound - one moment in music history: Bob Gruen’s rooftop Lennon image is right up there at the top.”

• Lennon ’74 is at Beautiful Crime, London from October 9-16 2015.

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Source: http://www.culture24.org.uk/art/art538189-russell-marshall-john-lennon-yoko-ono-bob-gruen