Dennis Hopper is best known as an
actor in films such as “Apocalypse Now” and “Easy Rider”. However, during the
period of 1961-67, when he was effectively black-listed by Hollywood, he turned
his hand to photography. Although he claimed later that: “I never made a cent from these photos. They cost
me money but kept me alive” and he subsequently never picked up a camera again,
in 1970 he was encouraged to exhibit over 400 (from around 18.000) of his
photographic prints at Fort Worth Art Center in Texas. The prints were
subsequently put away and forgotten about until after his death in 2010. Almost
all the original prints (a few were lost) are now being exhibited at the Royal
Academy.
Two things struck me when I
visited the exhibition. Firstly, I was impressed by the quality of his portrait
work. Friends and fellow actors, as well as complete strangers, are posed
candidly and naturally against interesting backgrounds, with advertising
hoardings being particularly popular (see, for example, the portrait of James
Rosenquist; Image 1).
Image 1; James
Rosenquist (1964)
Hopper was, of course, a
celebrity. With his reputation of also being a bit of a “hell-raiser” his
social circle naturally included other lively celebrities and, in particular,
fellow actors and artists. Many of the photographs, such as that of a group
including Andy Warhol and David Hockney, appear to have been taken at informal
gatherings although some, such as the print of Roy Lichtenstein in his studio,
were carefully posed. Either way, the portraits in the exhibition demonstrate a
natural gift for composition and for bringing out the personalities of his
sitters.
Secondly, his prints reveal a
real sense of period during some of the most vivid, exciting and revolutionary
years of the 20th century. Hopper followed Martin Luther King’s Selma (Alabama)
to Montgomery civil rights march in 1965 (Image
2) and was present at “love-ins” and festivals in the San Francisco area
during the “flower power” hippie summer of 1967.
Image 2: Martin
Luther King addresses an Open Air Meeting (1965)
The prints, in their original
form and size, are presented in long, horizontal lines around the walls of
three rooms. It was necessary to stand close to them in order to appreciate the
detail, but with so many to see it was not too difficult to be able to
appreciate them all close up, even in a crowded gallery. Not surprisingly, some contain imperfections
whilst the subject matter of others (such as the numerous prints of
bullfighting scenes in Mexico) will not appeal to all. However, his abstracts
and images of torn posters and found objects might easily have been taken in
modern times. These provide an interesting counterpoint to the documentary and
portrait work, revealing Hopper’s versatility as a photographer.
Every now and again I found a
print that really caught my attention. My favourite was a perfectly composed
image of a street scene (Image 3),
in which Hopper uses the driver’s mirror to great effect.
Image 3
This exhibition has received much
critical acclaim: I can see why. Hopper’s prints not only offer a unique and
privileged view into a most exciting period of modern history, but also show
him to be a talented and versatile photographer. If his acting (and directing)
career had not "got in the way" he might well have been able to develop a very
successful career as a professional photographer.
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