Derek Jarman’s Visionary Arts

Book excerpt: Derek Jarman's place in the history of film is assured by virtue of his vibrant, defiant films that experiment with the very process of film-making and create new forms. His paintings, their excitements and their profundity, are less well known. Michael Charlesworth sheds light on the varied ramifications of Jarman's artistic practice from his years at Prospect Cottage, Dungeness, and provides the first book-length study of his interest in depth psychology. He draws on Jarman's paintings, especially his landscapes from the 1960s and 70s, his multiple series such as 'black' and 'broken glass', GBH, Queer and Evil Queen, and his last Ecstatic Landscapes (1991-3). He also showcases Jarman's excellence as a writer with respect to his memoir, Kicking the Pricks. In a novel approach to Jarman's cinema, selecting films such as Journey to Avebury (1973), Caravaggio (1986), The Garden (1990) and Blue (1993), Charlesworth emphasizes themes and artistry rather than narrative. Exploring the ways in which Jungian and post-Jungian psychology were absorbed into Jarman's varied works, Derek Jarman's Visionary Arts provides a fresh perspective on his painting, film and writing. It celebrates him as one of the major British artists of the late 20th century, engaging with current debates about queer sexualities, environmentalism and climate catastrophe.