Johnny Depp Al Pacino, Friends & Heroes I
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Johnny Depp The Lovers
£3,950
Description
Hand-signed Silkscreen embellished with 24crt gold leaf by Johnny Depp.
As an artist, Johnny Depp depicts captivating figures from his life, dreams and subconscious mind. Johnny Depp's 2024 release, entitled Tarot, draws on tarot’s intriguing iconography. While referencing the ancient deck, the collection is imbued with his own characters and narratives, and imagined in a uniquely symbolic style.
‘The Lovers’ is, as Depp says, “the beginning of the story” for his tarot-inspired collection.
Wearing black and white, their matching outfits contrast with a soft purple background; marbled pools of paint reflect an earlier watercolour painting by Depp from which this work has been derived. The inky painting also evokes dreamlike compositions by Marc Chagall, who depicted smartly robed couples floating through the sky, often surrounded by flowers.
However, typical of Depp’s interest in depicting the subconscious, this romantic narrative gives way to deeper readings. The fluid colours, the brushstrokes and the watercolour paired with the ink reflect a harmonious balance between opposite forces: masculine and feminine, conscious and subconscious, rational and intuitive.
In the cinematic scene, the figures stand side by side, evoking tarot deck depictions of ‘The Lovers’ who typically appear as kindred spirits. However, in contrast to more mythic images of them as nude within Edenic settings, in Depp’s contemporary twist they are elegantly dressed partners who seem ready to dance. The artist himself has said that the male figure who holds the rose is warding off danger and “protecting” the female.
A special card in the tarot deck, and taking on added significance in Depp’s hands, ‘The Lovers’ evokes an equilibrium beyond purely romantic love. Swept into the evocative, hazy composition are themes of harmony, choice and commitment.
By extending a rose outwards, the artist also invites viewers to enter the frame of this scene, read this image within the context of their own lives, and take their next steps in ‘The Lovers’ timeless dance.
With hand applied 24ct gold leaf, red marbled leaf and silkscreen varnish this is a mixed media hand-signed limited-edition artwork on 640gsm paper with torn edges. Each artwork is signed by Johnny Depp and emboss stamped by hand with Johnny’s personal mark of authenticity, The Bunnyman.
