LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.-Internationally renowned artist Ben Johnson has been commissioned by National Museums Liverpool to produce a huge portrait of Liverpool to commemorate the city becoming European Capital of Culture in 2008.

Ben Johnson has produced other cityscapes including Jerusalem, Zurich and Hong Kong but this will be his largest work to date, standing at 8ft x 16ft, an area of 128ft in total. By the artist's own admission it is the most ambitious of his panoramas to date. This is the first time the artist has worked directly with a public gallery to produce a commission on this scale.

Johnson's cityscapes take years of painstaking work. First the subject must be closely explored by taking photographs, considering alternative viewpoints and absorbing the atmosphere of the city. Then detailed drawings are produced, often numbered in their thousands. Johnson is incredibly precise and his paintings are executed in minute detail. This will be the most detailed painting ever made of Liverpool in its history.

Johnson has already undertaken much of the groundwork relating to the Liverpool Cityscape's composition. Despite looking at the city from a number of viewpoints, he has chosen to immortalise Liverpool's famous skyline from a vantage point high above the River Mersey, looking almost due east towards the Three Graces.

Johnson says about the view: "Following six weeks of investigations into views, and studies of individual buildings, the importance of the Mersey, the Three Graces and the Cathedrals became obvious."

Consequently, Johnson has chosen to frame all these features. The left-hand boundary of the picture will include Chapel Street and Tithebarn Street, reaching back to Everton; the right-hand extreme takes in the Albert Dock up to the Anglican Cathedral.

This view comprises 170 hectares of the city, a near bird's-eye perspective established using computer and physical models to act as a template for making the drawing. In turn the drawing process helps produce the intricate stencils used to transfer the painting to canvas.

It is planned that the final work on the painting will take place in the Walker Art Gallery in front of a live audience in early 2008 where it will be on display for the rest of the year, before taking up its permanent home in the Museum of Liverpool.

As the portrait progresses, Johnson's collaboration with National Museums Liverpool will also generate a programme of community outreach projects.

Ben Johnson says: "The size of the painting will be 8ft x 16ft. This will be 128 square feet of painstakingly depicted detail. It will be, in fact, a collection of many thousands of miniatures, where as much attention is paid to the simplest industrial warehouse as to the most important ecclesiastical building. The painting will be the most ambitious of my panoramas."

Councillor Mike Storey, Leader of Liverpool City Council, said: ''Liverpool's waterfront is one of the most recognisable and famous in the world, ranking alongside Manhattan and Sydney and the architecture that spreads up to our cathedrals is stunning. It's fitting that the museum has commissioned such a renowned artist to capture the immensity of our World Heritage city in such detail for European Capital of Culture year. Liverpool in the 21st century is worthy of a modern masterpiece.''

Professor Drummond Bone, Chairman of the Liverpool Culture Company said: ''I applaud the museum for undertaking such an ambitious project, it gives a flavour of how the city will be celebrating 2008. Having seen the work of Ben Johnson, Liverpool has an artist who will evoke its beauty and majesty on a truly historic scale. I'm sure this portrait will be a big attraction and crowd pleaser in 2008 and will inspire people for many generations to come.''