ART-PRESENTATION: William Kentridge-Drawings for Lulu

William Kentridge for direction and staging of Alban Berg’s opera, “Lulu”, uses the familiar black-and-white visual technique of ink drawings on paper cast against the set as projections, but he paints his characters and the opera’s themes in many shades of gray. Kentridge’s production of Lulu, sung in German, is conducted by Lothar Koenigs with musical direction by James Levine.

By Dimitris Lempesis
Photo: Marian Goodman Gallery Archive

The exhibition of “Drawings for Lulu” is shown on the occasion of the publication and on the occasion of the presentation of Alban Berg’s opera “Lulu”, with direction and staging by William Kentridge. Considered one of the greatest operas of the early 20th century, “Lulu” tells the tale of a street waif who uses relationships with men to move up in the world, and who then, through evil deeds and ill luck, slides back down the social ladder until she is reduced to prostitution. In the end, she is murdered by Jack the Ripper. Kentridge has been working on this production of “Lulu” for more than three years. When its managing director, Peter Gelb, offered him an opportunity to direct the opera he originally turned it down. “I had no idea how to do it, how to deal with a four-hour opera when the way I worked with animation was so slow”. 120 drawings are on exhibition, 67 of them are the original illustrations for the “THE LULU PLAYS”, a limited edition book from Arion Press, adapted from hundreds of drawings Kentridge made to be projected on the stage of the opera, the exhibition also includes the book and a suite of four linocut prints signed by the artist. This original material for the book and opera underscores the artist’s inspiration from silent films of the 1920s and 30s, the time in which Lulu was composed.

Info: Marian Goodman Gallery, 4 West 57th Street, N. York, Duration 2/11-19/12/15, Days & Hours: Mon-Sat: 10:00-18:00, http://mariangoodman.com