Dead romantic …
This shot of the back of a drive-in cinema screen in Texas is typical of the kind of landscapes that hook the German film-maker and photographer Wim Wenders’s attention. Windswept and bereft of people, this lonely scene speaks of a romantic fascination with decay.
Drawing a blank …
As a subject, the drive-in would seem to have an obvious pull for a director who loves travelling and whose career was launched with the “road movie trilogy” in the 1970s. Since this early photograph of 1983, he has returned to it in a recent series where vast, free-standing screens are similarly empty.
Story board …
Wenders has said he loves both storytelling and to record something just as it is. This is a great example of a seemingly casual image that is rich in history and symbolism.
End of the road …
The location seems significant. It’s home to the Donald Judd Foundation, and in focusing on the concrete support, Wenders echoes the minimalist sculptor’s materials and forms. Also, this is where Giant was shot, James Dean’s last movie before his death. The tombstone of a screen could be a monument to lost potential or a certain kind of film-making.
Wim Wenders, Early Works: 1964-1984, Blain/Southern, W1, to 5 May
