Prospect - Archaeology of Soul
- Artist: Derek Jarman
- Date: 1987
- Medium: Acrylic paint, glass, flint, string and lead on canvas
- Dimensions: Artwork: 445 × 260 x 60mm. Display dims: 560 x 372 x 120mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is “Prospect – Archaeology of Soul” by Derek Jarman. Created in 1987, the work is a mixed‑media assemblage that combines acrylic paint, glass, flint, string and lead on canvas. Jarman’s black background—built from heavy black layers that he would later scratch back to reveal gold leaf—links the piece to his earlier “black paintings” series such as *Irresistible Grace*. The smashed glass embedded in the surface adds a subtle texture that catches light, echoing the alchemical idea of black as an all‑encompassing base.
The assemblage itself is filled with objects gathered from Dungeness’s shingle beach: pebbles, driftwood and jetsam are arranged across the canvas, creating a stony garden in miniature form. Jarman bought Prospect Cottage in May 1987 after his father’s death and began to split his time between that cottage and a London flat; this painting reflects his newfound studio and the landscape of the Kent coast.
In short: it is a meditation on black monochrome, an assemblage of found beach materials, and a personal tribute to a place that became both refuge and studio for the artist.
See it in person
Prospect - Archaeology of Soul is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
