He is an actor, he makes rock music – and he also paints: Johnny Depp is a creative all-rounder. Now he presents a self-portrait from “one of the darkest times” of his life.
Johnny Depp is known to be a successful actor, and for a while he’s also been a rock musician (with his band, the Hollywood Vampires) – and what most people probably don’t know: he also paints. And not just as a hobby: Depp has just presented his self-portrait “Five”, which costs around 2,000 euros, which he claims to have painted in “one of the darkest times” of his life, as reported by the “Daily Mail”.
The 60-year-old revealed the picture was a reflection of “painful” five years during which he was embroiled in a bitter legal battle with ex-wife Amber Heard. The former couple have been locked in a court battle on both sides of the Atlantic for over six years after the 37-year-old actress claimed she was a victim of domestic violence during their 15-month marriage – which Depp vehemently denied.
Art as a help against stress
The Depp vs. Heard process, which was also broadcast live, caused a sensation around the world. Finally, in December last year, the actor’s lawyers announced he was “glad to close the door on this painful chapter” after the one-time Hollywood couple settled defamation lawsuits against each other. The not undisputed star seems to have used the stress of this time productively – for art.
Johnny Depp proudly presented his artwork “Five” on Thursday. The self-portrait is meant to pay homage to a photo taken in 2015 for a Christian Dior Parfums ad campaign. The portrait was originally shot to present Depp as the face of “Dior Sauvage”. According to the 60-year-old, he chose this picture in honor of the designer Christian Dior, who has always been loyal to him.
A photo for Dior formed the basis
The actor told the Daily Mail the story of the artwork: “This photo was taken at a time that was, shall we say, a bit murky and a bit confusing. I looked at it and I thought it needed an extra layer, it needed more information.” And so he took the photo as the basis for his self-portrait, distorted it, chose darker colors to reflect his mood at the time.
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He also explains the title of the picture: “Essentially, I only have that ‘Five’ Chosen because I was about to enter my fifth year of insanity.” The painting is now set to go on sale in a UK gallery.
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Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
