Celluloid and Canvas - Dirk Bogarde

October 19, 2009


This is the first post in a new series I'm starting called "Celluloid and Canvas," about actors and actresses who were bursting with so much creativity that acting was simply not enough to exhaust all of their talents. Although "canvas" does refer to painting, this also includes filmmakers who sculpted and wrote as well.

First up-- surprise surprise-- is my inspiration for the series, Mr. Quadruple-Threat himself, Dirk Bogarde. Yes, he could act and sing. But did you also know that he was a talented artist?

According to my Fan Star Library biography (I haven't purchased an official biography yet, sue me!)

"On D-Day itself, which was June 6, he was among the first troops to land in Normandy, and as a result of the rather rough crossing of the English Channel his sketch book was rather damp. But he just had to do a bit of sketching, and found a piece of blotting paper which he used instead.

Two of his D-Day sketches were later bought by the British War Museum. Two others went to America."
DB's mother had hoped he would consider studying to become a commercial artist, definitely a more reliable career than acting. Despite his insistence to become an actor, it is obvious from the artwork posted on the Dirk Bogarde Estate website that he certainly had the talent to be a professional artist if he had chosen that path. All of the artwork featured on the site is exceptional, and it displays the same kind of skill that you see in sketches by Picasso or Van Gogh. Some of the drawings are from his wartime service, some are random doodles and some were used to illustrate his several books.

Oh, right-- he also wrote books. Tell me, is there ANYTHING this man could not do??






10 comments:

Andi B. Goode said...

I LOVE the new layout. It's fantastic.
And I really like his work, too...I'm usually a bit wary of actors who do other things, too, (which is a bit silly) but I dig his style. Especially those colour pieces! Definitely a great eye for colour.
-Andi x

NoirGirl said...

Ooh Kate! Another thrilling idea! That top photo is so neat - paintbrush in one hand, cigarette in the other (of course!). And look at his clothes - he's so well dressed for painting! I'm always in jeans a t-shirt when I work because it saves my precious clothes.

I still wish his estate would release some of these sketches as prints. I'd so much love to have one!

The new color scheme and sidebar are wonderful!! I love the reflection at the top! And the "Is that mustache really necessary?" block in the sidebar. I laughed out loud for that! Well done! :D

becca said...

I miss the bright colors, but I think I like this better - there's more elegance to it.

KC said...

I love the new design scheme! The sepia-tone is perfect for the old school movie theme. Very sophisticated. It always surprises me how many classic actors painted. I think my favorite actor painter was James Cagney. I thought it was interesting that he painted so many boxers; a subject that normally would not interest me at all!

Raquel Stecher said...

Wow! Dirk Bogarde the quadruple threat. That's pretty awesome. You are a Bogarde expert now. Anyone doing a bio on him should consult you for info. Or maybe you should write a bio on him?!

I miss the pink and the blue... :-( But everything you do visually is stylish and cool.

Sarah Mann said...

Wow, these are really awesome! I like the colorful trees and the outlines of women. Really cool!
I love the new color scheme! :D

Lolita of the Classics said...

My God! I love the last four ones!

Lolita of the Classics said...

Oh, and the layout is really cool!

Terence Towles Canote said...

Wow. I didn't know Dirk was an artist too. And he was a pretty good one at that!

Keith said...

I think the blog looks great. Very cool. You've done a good job with it. I love this new series. I don't blame you for starting with Bogarde. Hope you're having a nice week. I've started a series of Halloween posts on my blog.