Artist Billy Pappas spent eight-and-a-half years creating a pencil-drawn portrait of Marilyn Monroe. He was not obsessed with Marilyn—he’d considered a number of other celebrities for the portrait—he was obsessed with creating a new art form.
Pappas did not want to create an image of a woman on paper; he wanted to capture the essence of his subject, he wanted to portray life. He set a goal, to have artist David Hockney look at his work (and, perhaps, become his mentor or help further his career).
Pappas had a very loyal cadre of supporters including family members, a patron, and others who helped in his attempt to realize his dream. After a stream of correspondence, and the intercession of intermediaries, Pappas was able to show his work to Hockney, who spent five hours with him.
Filmmaker Julie Checkoway documents Pappas’ experience and the eventual outcome in her film Waiting for Hockney. She focused on Pappas and his supporters, particularly his mother, as they attempted--and succeeded--to get the portrait in front of the one artist who mattered to him. It’s a fascinating story of one man’s obsession.
Pappas worked on a microscopic level, full-time for 101 months, to achieve his masterpiece. Checkoway did not film the Pappas/Hockney meeting, although she does include interviews with some of the people that were there. David Hockney does not appear in the film, but representative samples of his work are shown.
In an interview with The New York Times, Checkoway comments, “It’s an amazing thing, but is it art? Is it beautiful? Is it affecting? Is it worth talking about?” Those are questions viewers will ponder when they finally see the unveiled portrait, unique in its detail. As for Hockney’s reaction…you’ll have to watch Waiting for Hockney. It was released on DVD and digital February 22.
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