Painting with John is a recent HBO series that’s unlike pretty much anything else. No painting show has made this much of an impact since Bob Ross’ Joy of Painting. Obviously, no single show can beat the beautiful legacy that Bob Ross has left. However, John Lurie strives to pave his own way with his own style of painting show, a beautiful, bizarre, quirky reflection of the brilliant man himself that can be streamed on HBO Max.
What makes Painting with John so great is that John is not trying to be anyone else or replicate anyone else’s style of painting. Lurie is trying only to be himself and paint his way while imparting important life lessons and hilarious anecdotes that can relate to his painting. John strives to create a sense of calm and a zen space through his painting and discussions, a safe space in the artistic world that differentiates him from anyone else.
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Painting With John Continues and Subverts Bob Ross’ Joy of Painting
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It is challenging to compare the two as Bob Ross’ Joy of Painting has such a large legacy attached to it. Thus, for those who love Bob Ross so much, Painting with John may never compare. However, for those that just love to watch someone painting and the relaxing elements and rhythms of that, Painting with John is a worthy successor. Of course, Lurie’s artistic style is utterly different from Ross’, what with his folk art impressionism and borderline pointillism.
While this new painting show does take elements from Bob Ross (it’s almost like a postmodern avant-garde Joy of Painting), it ultimately strives to separate itself from the most legendary painting show (and really anything else) in certain ways. In fact, Lurie is, in some ways, the polar opposite of Bob Ross. Lurie’s aura is that of a cranky old man, a bohemian New Yorker with wild stories who has decided to flee the city and live isolated on a tropical Caribbean island in order to paint. Lurie even says as much in the show, joking, “Bob Ross was wrong. Everybody can’t paint.” He clarified this with his typically charming but dark outlook, speaking to Artnet News:
On the other hand, when he is given his palette of paints, he seems to relax and go into a softer space, talking intimately to the camera as his own music (Lurie led the influential band The Lounge Lizards) plays in the background, the first time Lurie composed music in 22 years. Lurie loves painting, something abundantly obvious in this show. He utilizes it not just as a comfort but also as a space in which he can explore his stream of consciousness, memories, and important elements of the world we all inhabit (and, of course, tell some jokes). There’s a similar kind of feel-good comfort food found with Painting With John as there is with Bob Ross’ work, and some of that has to do with the quiet but mesmerizing ASMR-style aesthetic.
How Does Painting With John Utilize ASMR?
When listening to someone paint, it’s hard not to see how ASMR plays a part. ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) is a very calming experience in that the very tactile and complex sounds are meant to be pleasing to the ear and serve a relaxing purpose, or even tingly, sensorial pleasure.
Along with the island bugs and breeze, brush strokes have a very particular sound that is a great example of ASMR, and Painting With John leans into them, especially when they fill the background noise as Lurie speaks in his usual, distinct voice. He may have a kind of gruff sound to him, but there’s a non-threatening, warm, invitational quality to Lurie’s style of speaking that’s extremely inviting, especially when he spins yarns and tells stories that are pleasant and funny without being overwhelming. This is summarized well by The Daily Beast in the article, “How a Big Curmudgeon Made the Most Calming Show on TV.”
While it’s hardly popular, some viewers flock to Painting With John because it is so calming and relaxing to watch. To be frank, and in the most flattering and complimentary way, it is a show to fall asleep to, like the brilliant Joe Pera Talks With You. It feels like a continuation of this comedy of kindness that Pera and other shows like the innovative How To With John Wilson have been perfecting.
Painting With John Deserves a Season 3
Painting with John differentiates itself through the John himself: he’s simply unlike anybody else, and thus the show is the same way. Lurie came up as poor and working class before finding himself in the American art scene in the ’80s, becoming a musician and painter but most famously starring in the films of Jim Jarmusch (and eventually Oz, as one of the more humorous aspects of that very dark show).
He made a ’90s cult classic program called Fishing With John, which parodied fishing and sports show, along with reality television itself years before it became popular. In Fishing With John, he took a variety of people (Tom Waits, Willem Dafoe, Dennis Hopper, Matt Dillon) on surreal fishing trips, resulting in one of the weirdest, oddest shows in TV history, great enough to be included in the important Criterion Collection.
Painting With John continues his iconoclastic streak as a true anomaly in the art and media world, but is much softer, kinder, and relaxing than his other work. This is a result of his older age, his battles with severe diseases, and his growth as a person and an artist. As such, Painting With John is less cynical and hipster-like than his ’90s work, but still retains that artistic edge; sometimes he gets so abstract and weird in the show (like repeating the same Samuel Beckett-inspired cowboy montage episode after episode) that he practically begs to be canceled (and in fact asks HBO why they haven’t done so).
Absurdist weirdness aside, the anchor of this show is John Lurie, a personable and relatable guide through the oddities of life. Anything with him at the helm will stand apart from the pack. It’s obviously not for everybody, and doesn’t always land its jokes, but on the whole this is one of the most lovable shows on television write now, one wholly deserving of a third season. All episodes of Painting With John are streaming on HBO Max.
