All of these images have something which entices me to draw them; the sunlight bouncing off Jean Harlow’s hair, Libby Holman’s martyred face beneath her veil, the crabby lipstick on a manic Tallulah Banhkead’s teeth, Marpessa Dawn’s knowing eyes and the manufactured sheen on her naturally curling hair, the monstrous movement of Montgomery Clift’s camera - at first glance perhaps seeming to be an orifice into his tortured soul.

In Dante’s Divine Comedy, the shades (the souls of the damned) stood at the entrance to Hell, pointing to an unequivocal inscription: “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here.” Rodin made several studies of Shades, eventually assembling three identical figures that seem to be circling the same spot. (Musèe Rodin)
The inscription above Rodin’s 'Gates of Hell', could well be applied to fame and those who ‘enter’ its domain. The frames are intended to heighten a sense of adoration for the subjects in the drawing, whilst also being emblematic of the duress that fans symptomatically impose upon themselves and the symbiotic relationship with those they worship.

Tallulah
Tallulah Bankhead is an all time favourite of mine. She was seemingly unaffected by the Hollywood machine, most of her career being played out in the theatre. You can almost hear her famously low, raucous laugh in this image as the ageing actress distracts her audience with ‘outrageous’ behaviour. She was notoriously upfront and honest in her opinions, enjoyed relationships with both sexes and was completely unapologetic for her often controversial behaviour.

Jean
I have loved Jean Harlow since I saw her in 'Red Dust' starring alongside Clark Gable when I was in my early teens. She stands apart from the rest with a different kind of magic. Suddenly dying very young and of course the intrigue surrounding her husband’s suicide, I was hooked on her story like the millions before me. She was a magnet of rumour and gossip but somehow held her own against the backwash.

Marpessa
Marpessa Dawn was an American born French actress. After a very promising start (playing the female lead in the 1958 Academy award-winning film ‘Black Orpheus’) her career seemed to dim by the late 60’s but her beauty and knowing emanates from pictures of her. I pour over the images of Marpessa and her second husband, Belgian actor, Eric Vander (she was previously married to Director - Marcel Camus - elevating her fleeting celebrity). The love between them is tangible. She left behind 5 children and an indelible impression on those who followed her brief but enduring star.

Libby
Libby Holman was a remarkably strong woman. Here she is at the bond hearing after her husbands suicide/suspected murder (1932). Her life was a string of tragic events including the death of her son aged 17 in a climbing accident. Because of her bold, outgoing personality she was constantly surrounded by controversy and criticism. I find her fascinating on so many levels - her enduring friendship with Montgomery Clift, her affairs with Jeanne Eagels, Tallulah Bankhead and Josephine Baker, her musical career, her enormous inherited wealth and exuberant lifestyle alongside her vigorous support of international disarmament, civil rights and equal opportunities. She was said to have lost her vitality after the death of Montgomery Clift (1966). She died from carbon monoxide poisoning in the front seat of her Roll Royce in 1971.

Montgomery
Who can resist the dying hope in those eyes? If you google ‘Montgomery Clift…’ the first sinister suggestion that the search engine begs you to opt for, after so many other people have thirstily typed in the same, is …”after the accident.” Referring to the effect on his face after suffering a terrible car accident. The incident occurred after he reluctantly attended a dinner party at Elizabeth Taylor’s house. The actress herself allegedly put her hand down his throat to stop him choking on two teeth which had become lodged there. Despite leading a fairly unscandalous existence the public managed to load him with mystery, egged on by the usual fabricated nonsense in the fan magazines. He was said to have committed the ‘longest suicide in Hollywood history’. The drawing is from an image captured by the pioneering photographer Ida Wyman.