# Victorian Paper Art Karl Johnson Revives the Antiquated Tradition of Silhouette Portraits By Meghan Young | Published 2010-08-29 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/karl-johnson References: [coolhunting](http://www.coolhunting.com/culture/karl-johnson.php) & [cutarts](http://www.cutarts.com/) This is Karl Johnson's time to shine. Never have we appreciated [old forms of art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/back-to-basics-ii) more than now. That could be because designers and artists are finding it difficult to come up with original concepts, but I like to think that we are just embracing our past to better understand and appreciate where we came from and how far we've come. Of course, Karl Johnson's [silhouette art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/portrait-mom) isn't necessarily a commentary on all of that. Instead, the [Southern California-based artist](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/paul-anthony-smith) is just doing what he loves. Browse through the gallery above to see his impressive work. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 1.3/10 - Popularity: 14% | Activity: 16% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 10% men, 90% women - Primary generations: Millennial, Gen X - Top markets: North America, Europe, Asia ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Revival of Antiquated Art:** Embracing old forms of art to better understand and appreciate heritage and creativity. - **Originality in Design:** Artists and designers finding it challenging to come up with unique concepts. - **Embracing Cultural Legacy:** A growing trend of appreciating and exploring the past to gain insights into progress and growth. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Artistic Prints and Photography:** Opportunities for creating and selling prints and photographs inspired by antique artforms. - **Heritage and Museum:** Creating exhibits and experiences that showcase and educate about historical artistic practices like silhouette art. - **Design and Creative Services:** Providing design consultancy services to help artists and designers discover original concepts and innovative ideas. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Sculptural Paper Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/fragmenti.md) - [Paper Curvature Lights](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/paper-curves.md) - [Hand-Painted Wallpaper Series](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/sylvan.md) - [Sculptural Mixed-Media Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/folded-echoes.md) - [Digital Archetype Sculptures](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/christian-rex-van-minnen-1.md) - [Striking Glass Portraits](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/glass-portraits.md) - [Paper-Made Mosaic Artwork](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/real-life-architecture-exhibition.md) - [Analog Nostalgia Installations](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/back-to-basics-ii.md) - [Origami-Inspired Porcelain Art](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/saori-matsushita.md)