Checkered Past: A Visual Diary of the 60's and 70's

By Peter Schlesinger

In 1968, Peter Schlesinger, wide-eyed and 20 years old, arrived in London from his native California at the invitation of artist David Hockney to study at the Slade School of Art. He was introduced by Hockney to a bohemian set of artists, actors, musicians, photographers, dancers, designers, and society figures scattered around Notting Hill. Through the next decade, Schlesinger would photograph these friends and acquaintances in everyday situations, both at home in London and during numerous trips to continental Europe; many of the resulting images became the basis for Hockney's paintings. These unique, intimate images open a window on a charmed era: the late 1960s and early 1970s, when London swung to a gentler beat than it does today. Schlesinger's wry eye guides us through artists' studios, fashion shows, grand country homes, and gay discos, and lets us peek not only at the private Hockney but also at W. H. Auden, Christopher Isherwood, Paloma Picasso, Twiggy, Robert Mapplethorpe, Yves Saint Laurent, Manolo Blahnik, Celia Birtwell, and Rudolf Nureyev, among others. The photographs, paired with Schlesinger's witty captions, let readers into a long-gone world, and legendary shoe designer Manolo Blahnik adds a gossipy, anecdotal foreword that introduces the key players.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0865652295
• ISBN13: 9780865652293
• Release Date: October 2003
• Publisher: Vendome Press
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 8.1" x 10.5"
• Age Range: 13 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

Peter Schlesinger: A Renewed Appreciation after Hockney

Anyone who acts the flaneur in David Hockney's current touring exhibition DAVID HOCKNEY: PORTRAITS cannot help but encounter the many portraits and influences of Peter Schlesinger, one of Hockney's clan of admirers and students. Hockney's portraits of Schlesinger show a handsome young man with stylish dignity and a most memorable presence. All that is to say re-reading Peter Scheslinger's 'Checkered Past: A Visual Diary Of The 60's And 70's' adds credibility to the observational skills he possessed and which were nurtured by his association with Hockney. Schlesinger was invited by Hockney to London's Slade School of Art in 1968 at a youthful age 20. Hockney favored him and imbedded him in Hockney's wide circle of acquaintances and friends living and visiting in the Notting Hill district in London. Artists of every kind, from painters and sculptors to actors, musicians, dancers, photographers, interior designers, and yes, even the hoity toity of British society were gathered around the two. Schlesinger, himself a painter and sculptor, was wise enough to see the importance of the documentation of this pregnant artistic period and kept his camera in hand, capturing this inimitable time - the 1960s and 1970s. Schlesinger was able to address his 'portraits' in the natural surroundings of his 'models', both in England and on the European Continent. The results are casual portraits of such luminaries as Hockney himself, W. H. Auden, Christopher Isherwood, Paloma Picasso, Twiggy, Robert Mapplethorpe, Yves Saint Laurent, Manolo Blahnik, Celia Birtwell, and Rudolf Nureyev, self portraits - many of these photographs were used by Hockney as sketch ideas for his drawings and paintings. This entertaining and art history important book contains not only fine images, but also boasts comments from Schlesinger discreetly placed throughout the book, adding to the mood of that particular time during which the photographs were made. The controversial shoe designer Manolo Blahnik opens the volume with an appropriately campy forward, which sets a fine mood for what is to come. Once thought to be merely another photomontage of the 60s and 70s, Hockney's current exhibition throws new light and importance to Peter Schlesinger's book and his artistic career. It is well worth the price. Grady Harp, July 06

Nutricious Eye Candy for the brain and soul!!

This book is a feast for for the eyes . The photographs are delicious in that cherry pie, sweet tart sort of way... overwhelming in their beauty and composition. The text is very matter of fact, warm and totally involving. My only complaint is that I wish there hundreds more photos to look at! This is an excellent book for everyone who has dreamed of the glam life!

evocative

Having spent some time in London during the late 60's, I can honestly say that thisinteresting and beautiful work succeeds quite impressively in bringing alive a senseof time, place, and especially people...very unique and out of the ordinary people.A book worthy of reading, browsing through often, and sharing with friends.

Loved It

I enjoyed every page of this delightful photographic docu-autobiogrphy. The author's wonderful eye and witty commentary make the book a magic journey that ends too soon. Schlesinger has a unique touch, giving the book a quality which defies description. Almost from the opening page I felt as if I knew the characters personally, almost as if I was there. The images pull you in, while the commentary evokes a sense of a fairy-tale like tour. Haven't seen anything quite like it!