A new exhibition at the Amanda Wilkinson Gallery in London brings together Derek Jarman's Black Paintings, a series he began in 1984 and continued until his death in 1994. The works are small in scale, often made with tar and found objects, and are shown in a two-part chronological survey.
Jarman created many of the paintings at his home, Prospect Cottage in Dungeness, Kent. In his journals, he described melting a block of pitch in a bonfire and rushing to coat objects such as barbed wire, crucifixes and a model fighter plane before affixing them to canvases. 'The hot tar splashed everywhere and set like shining jet,' he wrote.
The Black Paintings reflect Jarman's response to his HIV diagnosis in 1987, incorporating motifs such as Christ's crown of thorns and blood. Gallery owner Amanda Wilkinson noted that Jarman resisted being categorised as a queer artist or activist, insisting he was simply an artist. 'You can't pin him down,' said musician Jon Savage, a close friend.
The exhibition runs until 13 September and includes works such as 'Exit 1988', 'Death Is All Things We See Awake 1991' and 'Mirror Mirror 1988'. Jarman's use of tar and found objects, along with his layering of bright colours beneath black, creates a sense of alchemical transformation and urgency.
