James Gobel: The Charles Laughton Papers

The Charles Laughton Papers were extensively researched and meticulously composed, an exquisite and important body of work in the oeuvre of James Gobel. The series debuted in 2020 in San Francisco; however, due to the onset of the pandemic, the exhibition received little visibility. When I recently visited Gobel’s studio, I caught glimpse of a plastic-covered painting, one of several comprising The Charles Laughton Papers. I seized at the moment; not only was I a Gobel fan, I was a huge Charles Laughton fan. I suggested we unwrap the paintings and present the series in Los Angeles, where many Laughton films were produced at Hollywood studios, including 20th Century Fox, RKO Films, and elsewhere.

James Gobel’s works are made with hand-cut felt, embroidery thread and paint. Resembling tapestries, the mosaic of both wool and acrylic felt, meticulously positioned, have depicted Gobel’s figurative and abstract compositions for over 20 years. The method of construction is a creation of Gobel’s own invention. The subject matter over the course of his career has steadfastly centered around the queer male body. Gobel selects from the margins of the LGBT community, choosing the pudgy individual or the lumberjack to be his sitter, redirecting the viewers attention to the communities less typified figures, allowing them access and inclusion to the cannon of representational painting. In his most recent series, “The Charles Laughton Papers”, Gobel has created a series of felt paintings inspired by the life and notoriety of 20c British-born actor Charles Laughton. This project has lead Gobel to research his archive of papers in the UCLA Special Collection, interview his biographer, and in 2018 a pilgrimage to the actor’s birth site, the Old Vic Hotel, in Scarborough, England. This series also reveals a new level of precision and detail in Gobel’s marquetry, replacing yarn lines with embroidery thread, allowing for tighter and more agile arrangements within the picture plane.

“I have used images of early 20th century film icon Charles Laughton (Scarborough UK, 1899-1962) as inspiration since I began painting. Laughton’s character portrayals are still seen today as some of early films most dramatic and notable performances. Lead roles in films like “​The Private Life of Henry VIII​”, “​Les Miserables​” and “​The Hunchback of Notre Dame​” would also make him memorable for his physical transformations. These characterizations serving for me as a way to see a different gay body, one of considerable physical stature, occupying, in celluloid for the first time, great characters of history, both in imagination and fantasy. A closeted gay man, Laughton would create an entirely hidden identity, little known to the many that surrounded him, including his wife of 33 years, Elsa Lanchester. After his death in 1962, a clearer understanding of his life and work is now better understood. Three biographies are written on his life and work. They reveal an artist of considerable intellectual depth and social complication. He shared his presence with many of the times most forward thinking writers, artists, and filmmakers; Christopher Isherwood, Bertolt Brecht and Peter Ustinov among them. In addition to his films and publications that he both produced and was a subject of, I examined and documented his personal archive papers in the UCLA Special Collections. I continued on a pilgrimage visiting his birthplace and childhood home until 19 years of age, The Old Vic Hotel in Scarborough England. I continued by interviewing his biographer, British actor Simon Callow, to complete my research.

“I have chosen not to represent his likeness or directly reference his performances, but rather attempt to create opportunities to collaborate or reveal biographical agencies most meaningful to the actor. It is important to note here that my subject’s seminal biography was titled “​Charles Laughton: A Difficult Actor​.” Known for temper tantrums and creative differences with many of his peers, Charles’ story is made of many layers. The collection of paintings that are part of the series exist under the title “​The Charles Laughton Papers​””

– James Gobel