Gerald Hopkins’ Wall of Color
by Jay Blotcher
The inspiration for Woodstock-based artist Gerald Hopkins’ new installation, Wall of Color, was as simple as the colors of nature. At the time, he had been peering at the Rainbow Flag, the international symbol of the lesbian and gay liberation. Drawing on his sensibilities as an artist—as well as his mindset as a child of the ‘60s—Hopkins had a provocative vision.
“All of the sudden I had this idea of doing an installation where I could do colors connected to the universe,” said Hopkins, 67, whose previous artistic turns have included actor, rock singer, off-Broadway costume designer and stage designer. His depiction of the color spectrum, however, would include a political angle. The omnipresent colors would reflect the ubiquity of lesbian and gay people, whom the artist regards as “not just part of a population of the world, but they’re also a part of the universe.”
“Each [June] is an anniversary of gay people and their struggles, and their joys and their progress. And I hope this will reflect that.”
In Wall of Color, Hopkins documents the presence of gay and lesbian people here on Earth but also speculates about parallel lives beyond our galaxy. The multi-canvas work, rendered in brightly-colored acrylic paints, veers wildly in theme and tone.
The title of the work reflects its outsized aspirations. The formal name is “Wall of Color, An Installation: A Cosmic Connection Celebrating the Lesbian and Gay Experience.” Accordingly, its physical dimensions are formidable: composed of 44 separate canvases under Plexiglas, each measuring 22 x 28 inches, the work splays out to a magisterial 10 x 20 feet.
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