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My tribute to Richard Chopping, the original Bond dust jacket artist.

offtheradarofftheradar
edited April 2013 in Literary 007 Posts: 80
http://pinterest.com/tomjcull/the-art-life-of-richard-dickie-chopping/

Comments

  • SandySandy Somewhere in Europe
    Posts: 4,012
    I'm following you on Pinterest, I think you are doing an amazing job collecting all of this.
  • doubleonothingdoubleonothing Los Angeles
    Posts: 864
    I wrote a piece for Mi6 Confidential on Chopping. A fascinating and talented man.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    edited April 2013 Posts: 18,299
    Thank you for sharing this. That is most fascinating.
  • 0BradyM0Bondfanatic70BradyM0Bondfanatic7 Quantum Floral Arrangements: "We Have Petals Everywhere"
    Posts: 28,694
    Thanks again for this, @tomjcull. I have learned some great stuff from your page, and just to see Chopping's artwork again all in one spot is a supreme delight. He was a great talent and was just as much a part of making the literary Bond iconic with his various covers as Ian himself.
  • offtheradarofftheradar
    Posts: 80
    Thanks 0BradyM0Bondfanatic7

    That was my mission, to promote appreciation not just for his Bond jackets but his life and art in general. As someone who knew him personally, he was one of the most caring, funny and talented people, from a generation of Bons Vivants you just don't come across anymore.
  • Samuel001Samuel001 Moderator
    Posts: 13,356
    Thanks for this information @tomjcull. Love the covers and have learned quite a lot.
  • Villiers53Villiers53
    Posts: 802
    Brilliant stuff - I just hope IFP look in and get some inspiration for "SOLO" !
  • offtheradarofftheradar
    Posts: 80
    Fan made in style of Chopping by AgentJamesBond007:

    http://www.mi6community.com/index.php?p=/discussion/comment/239207#Comment_239207
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    edited April 2013 Posts: 893
    FYI, my new section name is 007InVT.

    Thanks
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    edited April 2013 Posts: 893
    I actually knew Richard 'Dickie' Chopping growing up as he was a close family friend along with his partner and renowned artist Denis Wirth-Miller who lived in Essex, England. I grew up in Hampshire and we we holidayed a few times with them in France.

    Both were bon vivants, Denis a renowned artist in his own right but lived somewhat in the shadow of his great friend Francis Baco. He was the one who suggested a hole in a piece of wood with a card underneath reminiscent of a private club for the cover of 'For Your Eyes Only'.

    Dickie was a sweet man and incredible writer and author. I would have loved to have asked him about those days, although he had a troublesome relationship with Fleming. He described him as mean and miserly essentially as Dickie was a pacifist essentially, a man of botany, art and gardening.

    I didn't really know he did the Fleming covers until later in my life after his death as I was too young, which personally now, is very sad for me.

    Unknown fact to many, is that up until his death he was asked by Bod Dylan's son Jakob, who was a fan of his work, to do his album cover, but Richard died before that project ever got off the ground.

    Learn more about Richard Chopping:

    http://jamesbond.ajb007.co.uk/richard-chopping/

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Chopping

    http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/richard-chopping-versatile-illustrator-best-known-for-his-distinctive-bond-book-jackets-813974.html

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2008/jun/14/culture.obituaries

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1263359/The-Man-Golden-Grudge-How-illustrator-Ian-Flemings-novels-felt-conned-vast-royalties.html

    http://www.nydailynews.com/blogs/pageviews/2012/05/the-art-of-bondage-the-great-book-covers-of-richard-chopping

    My Pinterest Tribute to Chopping:

    http://pinterest.com/tomjcull/the-art-life-of-richard-dickie-chopping/

    Also here: http://thebondexperience.com/my-childhood-memories-of-original-fleming-dust-jacket-artist-richard-chopping/
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    Here is a great attempt at the Chopping style by Teeritz:

    http://teeritz.blogspot.com/2012/12/trying-my-hand-at-vintage-1st-edition.html

    d5e796d18e0b2b7d4788cf27aedb1d7b.jpg
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    Here are some of my attempts:

    http://pinterest.com/tomjcull/my-richard-chopping-style-dust-jackets/
  • teeritzteeritz
    Posts: 12
    Hey 007InVT, I've had a better look at your book covers now and they turned out nicely! I really like the "Casino Royale" cards-and-rose combination and the passport-on-map one as well. Looks good!
    It's murder staging these photos so that everything looks just right, in focus, and nothing looks out of place. I spend ages with my blog photos sometimes.
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    teeritz wrote:
    Hey 007InVT, I've had a better look at your book covers now and they turned out nicely! I really like the "Casino Royale" cards-and-rose combination and the passport-on-map one as well. Looks good!
    It's murder staging these photos so that everything looks just right, in focus, and nothing looks out of place. I spend ages with my blog photos sometimes.

    Right. Some combinations you think will work, just don't and other more throwaway ones suddenly look great. I have not been able to filter the photos much to get the effect of them being painted, but at some point I will PhotoShop some.

    I have a few more tricks up my sleeve for others I'm working on but still want to stay true to traditional Chopping themes such as flowers. Skulls and Guns are another matter. I have neither kicking around the house (probably for the best!

    Thanks for responding.
  • teeritzteeritz
    Posts: 12
    I don't have Photoshop, which would come in handy. My camera does have a filter setting which makes pictures look a little more 'cartoony' , but this effect is a little too much.
  • ggl007ggl007 www.archivo007.com Spain, España
    Posts: 2,541
    Can someone post an image (or link) to Chopping´s work on Chandler´s <i>The Simple Art of Murder</i> that, apparently, convinced Fleming to hire him?

    Thanks
  • 4EverBonded4EverBonded the Ballrooms of Mars
    Posts: 12,480
    ggl007 wrote:
    Can someone post an image (or link) to Chopping´s work on Chandler´s <i>The Simple Art of Murder</i> that, apparently, convinced Fleming to hire him?

    Thanks

    That would be cool; I hope someone can.
    I am enjoying these covers; thanks.

  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,299
    @007InVT, I'm a very big fan of your site and its layout - keep up the good work. You've managed to collect in the one place some great stuff for the Fleming and Chopping fan!
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    ggl007 wrote:
    Can someone post an image (or link) to Chopping´s work on Chandler´s <i>The Simple Art of Murder</i> that, apparently, convinced Fleming to hire him?

    Thanks

    is it this?

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/1950-The-Simple-Art-of-Murder-Raymond-Chandler-First-English-Edition-/171163728841?pt=Antiquarian_Books_UK&hash=item27da273bc9
  • 007InVT007InVT Classified
    Posts: 893
    Dragonpol wrote:
    @007InVT, I'm a very big fan of your site and its layout - keep up the good work. You've managed to collect in the one place some great stuff for the Fleming and Chopping fan!

    thank you kind sir.
  • ggl007ggl007 www.archivo007.com Spain, España
    Posts: 2,541
    007InVT wrote:
    ggl007 wrote:
    Can someone post an image (or link) to Chopping´s work on Chandler´s <i>The Simple Art of Murder</i> that, apparently, convinced Fleming to hire him?

    Thanks

    is it this?

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/1950-The-Simple-Art-of-Murder-Raymond-Chandler-First-English-Edition-/171163728841?pt=Antiquarian_Books_UK&hash=item27da273bc9

    Thanks, friend. I´ve already seen that, but I´m not quite sure.

    Here (http://www.detective-fiction.com/raymond-chandler.htm) and in other sites, it is said that the author of that is C.W.Bacon :-??
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,299
    007InVT wrote:
    Dragonpol wrote:
    @007InVT, I'm a very big fan of your site and its layout - keep up the good work. You've managed to collect in the one place some great stuff for the Fleming and Chopping fan!

    thank you kind sir.

    My pleasure. Your site is superb!
  • BentleyBentley
    edited December 2013 Posts: 267
    offtheradar wrote:
    http://pinterest.com/tomjcull/the-art-life-of-richard-dickie-chopping/

    @007InVt, congratulations on this excellent tribute.
    Personally, I think that Richard Chopping's Bond work represents the most important and successful cover art of all time.
    No other artist has had the same impact for an author and a literary franchise. Indeed, I believe that it was Chopping's work that helped Fleming elevate his status from pulp author to serious contemporary thriller writer. I also find it fascinating that Chopping's first and best cover for Fleming was also for the best ever Bond novel - FRWL.
    This was the book that earned JFK's endorsement and was really the novel that took Fleming from being a best seller to a world wide literary phenomena. There is absolutely no doubt that the quality of Chopping's design played a pivotal role in positioning Bond as a luxury franchise for both men and women!
    Ironically, and for reasons I'd love to know, Fleming didn't commission Chopping for DR.NO. A great shame because I'd have love to have seen Richard's interpretation of that one. He did however return for Goldfinger and, as we all know, did the rest of Fleming's Bond books and John Gardner's first continuation novel, Licence Renewed.
    Here are my personal rankings of Chopping's Bond works:
    1) From Russia With Love.
    2) Goldfinger.
    3) The Spy Who Loved Me.
    4) Licence Renewed.
    5) Thunderball.
    6) For Your Eyes Only
    7) You Only Live Twice
    8) OHMSS
    9) Octopussy
    10) TMWTGG
    When I look at my favourites, the four that I consider to be the strongest, juxtapose violence and romance in different ways. In my opinion, this is when Chopping was at his strongest.
    Happily, my outright NO.1 Bond cover is also my favourite novel. Unfortunately, my second favourite book (OHMSS) didn't benefit from his best work but frankly the worst Chopping is still great!
    Recently, I've gone digital with a Kindle paper white and I've been able to celebrate my love of Chopping by having Klevercase bespoke me their top of the range case with Chopping's FRWL - a great mixture of art and science. Now I can take great art with me everywhere I go.

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