Derek Jarman

Derek Jarman (1942–94) is known as one of Europe’s greatest independent film-makers; his films call into question and reconsider the nature of filmmaking itself. But, as Michael Charlesworth shows in this new biography, Jarman was also a painter, writer, gardener, set designer, and an influential campaigner for gay rights and other social causes. Charlesworth discusses the entire diverse range of Jarman’s works in order to provide a thorough portrait from childhood to his untimely death. Charlesworth is the first scholar to properly integrate Jarman’s paintings and writings with his films, demonstrating the strong connections between his varied areas of artistic practice. He also draws invaluable insights from Jarmon’s extraordinary series of journals that offer a look into the nature of the society in which he lived, as well as his own creative process. And through the thoughts and memories of Jarman’s friends, Charlesworth reveals how Jarman was an important voice on behalf of many—one who espoused love and friendship, while fearlessly campaigning for the virtues and the value of art in an often hostile and unappreciative political and social atmosphere. Fresh in its conclusions and engaging in style, Derek Jarman is an accessible and thought-provoking analysis of Jarman’s phenomenal creativity and a perfect complement to Jarman’s works.

Originally published: Woodstock, N.Y.: Overlook Press, 1994.

Derek Jarmans Garden is the last book Jarman ever wrote. It is a fitting memorial to a brilliant and greatly loved artist and film maker who, against all odds, made a breathtaking garden in the most inhospitable of places the flat, bleak, often desolate expanse of shingle overlooked by the Dungeness nuclear power station. Here is Jarmans own record of how the garden evolved, from its earliest beginnings in 1986 to the last year of his life. More than 150 photographs by his friend Howard Sooley capture the garden at all its different stages and at every season of the year, revealing its complex geometrical plan, magical stone circles and the beautiful and bizarre scupltures. We also catch glimpses of Jarman at work on the garden. This beautiful book will appeal to all those who love gardens and gardening, as well as the legions of admirers of this extraordinary man.

Taken decade by decade, Derek Jarman's life is a virtual encapsulation of the social and cultural history of the latter half of the twentieth century, from post-war austerity through the liberated sixties and the perplexing seventies to the eighties of Aids and Thatcherism. Always influential in artistic and film-making terms, and within the gay community, Jarman had attained before his death a figurehead status that is now very generally recognised, and can only increase with time. His extraordinary garden in Dungeness in Kent has become a major tourist attraction and his films still compel massive critical attention. Tony Peake was Derek Jarman's literary agent, and knew him well. His authorised biography is based on first-hand interviews and primary research and does immense justice to a brilliant - and singular - subject.

Rowland Wymer gives detailed, original critical readings of Derek Jarman's eleven feature-length films, and argues that he occupies a major and influential place in European and world cinema.

Derek Jarman was a very English rebel, a maverick and radical artist whose unique and distinctive voice was honed protesting against the strictures of life in post-war Britain. In an innovative practice that roamed freely across all varieties of media, Jarman refused to live and die quietly. He defined bohemian London life in the 1960s, exploded into queer punk in the 70s and with unbounded creative rage, ingenuity and sheer personal charm, he triumphed over an atmosphere of fear and ignorance in the age of AIDS to produce timeless, eloquent works of art which resonate still more strongly today. This major new publication offers a definitive overview of Derek Jarman's life and work. It covers all aspects of his oeuvre, from his features to his Super-8 films, his painting, design for theatre, poetry, gardening, memoir and political activism. Protest! contains excerpts from Jarman's own writings, short interviews with friends and collaborators and newly commissioned texts from a wide range of contributors including John Maybury, Peter Tatchell, Philip Hoare, Sir Norman Rosenthal and Olivia Laing. Generously illustrated with previously unseen images drawn from Jarman's personal archive and unseen works from all stages of his career, this book brings the reader fresh and surprising insights into the world of this much-loved artist.

A poetic, passionate and intensely personal exploration of colour written during the final year of Derek Jarman's life -- with a new introduction by Ali Smith. In Chroma, his most poetic and lyrical book, Derek Jarman explores the uses of colour. Shifting across the spectrum and from the medieval to the modern, he draws on the work of great colour theorists from Pliny to Leonardo. Interwoven with these musings are evocative memories from Jarman's childhood and illustrious career, along with reflections on his deteriorating health. Written a year before Jarman’s death, and as his eyesight was failing, this is an intensely personal work; a paean from an artist seeking to memorialise the extraordinary power of colour even while it receded from his own life.

A selection of stills from Derek Jarman’s many short Super 8 films, curated and commented on by some of the most important names in contemporary cinema Derek Jarman was one of most influential filmmakers of the late twentieth century, transcending the avant-garde to make cult feature films such as Jubilee (1978) and Caravaggio (1986). He was a painter before venturing into the world of film, and a painter's mentality permeates all his work, particularly his experiments in Super 8 film. The Super 8s show Jarman at his most visually courageous and creative, using rich color and bold compositions, and experimenting with techniques such as superimposition and the use of prisms and filters. When Jarman died, he left his entire collection of ninety-two Super 8s to James Mackay, who has spent the last twenty years archiving, restoring, and digitizing them. Here, Mackay presents stills from these works, selected by artists and filmmakers who have engaged with or been influenced by Jarman. This remarkable body of work contains some of the most evocative images from the filmmaker’s entire career, accompanied by insightful commentaries from contributors such as Gus Van Sant, Tacita Dean, and Isaac Julien.