These new additions to his Friends & Heroes collection from the notable actor, musician and artist are again stylistically bold and intensely individual and see Depp depict people he has known well or who have inspired him as a person. Each image is an intimate reflection of their character in Johnny’s eyes; a portrayal of how they have revealed themselves to him, either personally or via their art. Depp says: “I’ve always used art to express my feelings and to reflect on those who matter most to me, like my family, friends and people I admire. My paintings surround my life, but I kept them to myself and limited myself. No one should ever limit themselves.”
For Johnny Depp there has always been art. Before acting, and before music, art has always been an important outlet for his creativity. His artistic restlessness and exploration know no bounds, and he has consciously embarked upon a renaissance that allows his life to be filled with that which fulfils him. Depp has, for many years, established himself as an art collector of great merit, with some of the world’s most coveted names in contemporary art in his private collection. From Basquiat to Banksy, Depp has amassed an eminently credible portfolio that demonstrates his love for visual art. However, it is less widely known that Depp is also an artist and creator in his own right, having discovered an innate love for drawing and painting in his childhood, long before music and film first featured in his life.
Thompson’s scathing wit and intelligence burn through the canvas. Marley’s deep humanity and playfulness are obvious in Depp’s portrait, and the close friendship Depp shared with Phoenix is obvious in his emotional portrayal. With his sketchbook as a permanent fixture in his hand, rarely is there a time when Depp isn’t sketching or visually conceptualising the world around him. His mind rejects the ordinary, challenges the accepted and oscillates between the pictorial and the lyrical, giving rise to his own multilayered expressionistic style. Johnny’s art exists at the intersection of ‘Pop Art’ and ‘Street Art’. Recognisable images of people in popular culture are recast in vibrant, bright colours and overlayed with the energy and wit of Street Art. The result is a series of iconic images of media figures that have moved beyond the impersonal graphic simplicity of Pop Art. It’s Pop Art with feeling.
As an actor, Depp is known for his depth of research and commitment to characterisation. He studies, translates and harnesses qualities he sees in others to weave into the tapestry of the persona he is creating. This has resulted in laser-sharp powers of observation, and the ability to identify and utilise the subtlest nuance. He has wielded this skill in his visual art, using it to create a true authenticity and depth in the portraits of those who have become important figures in his life, those who have altered the course of his life and those who have provided influence and inspiration. A closer look at his portraiture conveys the qualities that Depp felt his subjects revealed most keenly to him, or are his strongest points of recall when revisiting times shared and memories made, or emotions created through music. The new pieces feature actors Heath Ledger and River Phoenix, writer Hunter S. Thompson and musician Bob Marley. The first three were friends of Depp, Marley a major influence. Depp has made Ledger’s sensitive and soulful eyes, reflecting his burning talent, a key element of the portrait, whilst
HEATH LEDGER The “thundering and ungovernable talent” of Johnny’s funeral eulogy for Ledger pours out from his portrait four-square and handsome, addressing the world head-on. But his eyes tell a different story. Sensitive and soulful, they reflect the character of a man who cared perhaps too much about his work but had the subtlety and range to portray Ennis Del Mar in Brokeback Mountain and then the Joker in The Dark Knight . Heath’s tragic and unexpected death in January 2008, halfway through the filming of The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus meant that after knowing Heath as a fellow actor and friend for nearly 10 years, Johnny suddenly found himself stepping into part of Heath’s role to help Terry Gilliam finish the film.
Limited Edition Silkscreen | Archival Pigment in Colours on Deckle Edged 640gsm Waterford NOT Paper Edition of 195 | Image Size: 85cm x 85cm | Framed Size: 111cm x 111cm Framed £4,500
HUNTER S. THOMPSON Behind his essential accessories, the yellow tinted Aviator sunglasses and a cigarette in a holder, Hunter’s strength of character erupts from the canvas, for here we find a profile hewn from rock, imbued with the stern gaze of a confident and challenging intellect. Standing six foot three and full of muscle, with his larger-than-life personality, Hunter surely delivered on his nickname of The Colonel. The “dark laughter” quote captures his often-enigmatic writing and is emblematic of his importance as a writer whose effect on journalism was nothing short of transcendent. Johnny first met Hunter in 1994 and the two immediately hit it off and developed a relationship based on trust, admiration for each other’s work and a shared liking for madcap antics. They would regularly meet at Hunter’s farm to chew the fat, shoot his guns and talk about literature, life and the universe.
Limited Edition Silkscreen | Archival Pigment in Colours on Deckle Edged 640gsm Waterford NOT Paper Edition of 195 | Image Size: 85cm x 85cm | Framed Size: 111cm x 111cm Framed £4,500
RIVER PHOENIX Possessed with the beauty of a teen heartthrob and the warm gaze of quiet nobility, River is portrayed as a person of great talent and even greater integrity. His extraordinary talent earned him an Academy Award nomination for his role playing the son of the counterculture couple in Running on Empty and allowed him to handle the weighty, complex role of a narcoleptic street hustler in My Own Private Idaho . It’s not at all surprising that Johnny and Phoenix were good friends. Both had experienced a similar bohemian, itinerant childhood, and both loved music, playing in bands alongside their acting.
Limited Edition Silkscreen | Archival Pigment in Colours on Deckle Edged 640gsm Waterford NOT Paper Edition of 195 | Image Size: 85cm x 85cm | Framed Size: 111cm x 111cm Framed £4,500
BOB MARLEY With his head slightly tilted and his attentive expression, we see a sensitive individual who listens and cares. A man who has a mission to send a message to the world, who abhors violence and confrontation. With the unblinking gaze of a dreamer and a profoundly sincere man, Bob was blessed with the eyes of a prophet. Johnny never met Bob, but admired him greatly from afar, thinking of him as one of the two great prophets of his generation, alongside his friend Bob Dylan. Marley cried out for dignity and hope in the world, and risked his life to say the things he believed, making the messages in his songs among the most authentic in contemporary music.
Limited Edition Silkscreen | Archival Pigment in Colours on Deckle Edged 640gsm Waterford NOT Paper Edition of 195 | Image Size: 85cm x 85cm | Framed Size: 111cm x 111cm Framed £4,500
FRIENDS & HEROES | SET OF 4 Framed £17,500
BIOGRAPHY For Johnny Depp there has always been art. Before acting, and before music, art has always been an important outlet for his creativity. While his acting skills are obviously the foundation of his fame, the recent reception to his music with Hollywood Vampires and Jeff Beck has encouraged him, and emboldened him, to share his art. Johnny’s collection of limited edition artwork sees him focus on Friends & Heroes ; people he has known well, and who have inspired him as a person. Each image is an intimate reflection of their character in Johnny’s eyes; a portrayal of how they have revealed themselves to him.
Working from photographic references, each image has been stripped back to a simpler and iconic portrayal of the subject, which Johnny has then developed and energised with his characteristic freehand flourishes.
Johnny’s art exists at the intersection of ‘Pop Art’ and ‘Street Art’. Recognisable images of people in popular culture are recast in vibrant, bright colours and overlayed with the energy and wit of Street Art. The result is a series of iconic images of media figures that have moved beyond the impersonal graphic simplicity of Pop Art. It’s Pop Art with feeling.
Art references: Bob Marley – Photography: Getty Images Hunter S. Thompson - Photography: Michael O’Neill River Phoenix: Nancy Schiff Heath Ledger - Photography: Stephanie Pfriender Stylander
The images contained within this literature are an artistic representation of the collection. To best experience our art, we recommend you contact your local gallery to arrange a viewing. © Washington Green 2023. The content of this brochure is subject to copyright and no part can be reproduced without prior permission. Photography By Elliot Nyman
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