Interview
Jack Caldow
Jack Caldow is a self taught artist who has studied medical/environmental sciences and is currently studying to be a secondary science teacher. These studies along with a fascination for the natural world are the primary inspiration for his art. Last year he began exhibiting his works to the public.
What is your background and how did you start your journey in the art world?
“I’m currently 26 years old, living in Melbourne, studying my Masters, and working as a science teacher. I was born in Tweed Heads, Australia and spent the majority of my life surrounded by the beach and bush. My dad is a tropical plant fanatic so I’ve always been surrounded by the wonders of nature. I have had no formal art training, nor have I been to art school, however I did grow up in an environment that fostered art and creativity; my parents were always exposing me to different types of music, art, album covers, books and movies. I have drawn from as early as I can remember, whereas, I only started oil painting around 5 years ago during my university studies. Art has always been an intense passion and hobby for me, only within the past year have I aimed to make it more of a career.”
What inspires you?
“Like all artists, my inspiration is a mirror image of the life I live and what I consume. Science is the most fascinating tool for exploring this, as such, I predominantly turn to the natural world and our current scientific models describing it. Specifically, my university studies introduced me to human anatomy, an endless source of inspiration in my work. At university, I was exposed to concepts of climate change, symbiosis, human evolution, embryology and genetics to name a few. These disciplines continue to be the driving force behind my work. Additionally, I find inspiration in the books I read, music I listen to, and from the dense artistic environment in Melbourne, there are so many fantastic galleries and museums here. This process of finding new art acts to propel my own creative process; having a constant flow of new art is beneficial for keeping novelty alive and inspiration ripe.”
What themes do you pursue? Is there an underlying message in your work?
“Above all things, my art attempts to convey an intense gratitude for life and existence. Throughout art history, this gratitude was reserved for religious art- which can have a potent effect on the viewer. I aim to capture this same essence, yet channel it through a secular/scientific lens. This means religious imagery and compositions, along with anatomy, interconnection with nature, climate change and scientific exploration are consistent themes seen throughout my body of work. A challenge to this is the increasingly distracted and hyperactive world we happen to be in. With information access more prevalent than ever, it's becoming hard for a lot of people to sit still and be focused on any one thing at a given time. I’m guilty of this; I’ll often find myself pairing an audiobook with the chores, or music with exercise/painting, it's almost impossible to experience things in isolation anymore; there are just too many things grasping for our attention. Visual art is very hard to passively consume, you’re either looking and focusing on the work or you’re not. My intention is to create art that's worth looking at, and that rewards your attention. My art attempts to achieve this with detail, to keep the audience's eye and mind busy. I hope interactions with my work are thought provoking or inspiring, even for simply one minute out of someone’s day. I’m also quite aware that the majority of people will only see it on a small phone screen for a few seconds whilst scrolling; or, will simply enjoy the aesthetic of my work on a surface level, and that's also completely fine. I welcome any and all interaction with my work.”
How would you describe your work?
“If I had to classify my work at the moment, I would say it lands squarely between the figurative and surreal genres. I have implemented elements of visionary art, along with some recent experiments with expressionism and hyperrealism in my painting. Anatomical or medical art would also describe some of my works well. Often people find my art to be rather dark, I don’t intend that, quite the opposite in fact, however I suppose there is something rather macabre about anatomy to most.”
Which artists influence you most?
“The anatomical works of Nicolas Henri Jacob have been profoundly inspiring (I urge everyone to look at these, they perfectly capture the incredible complexity of our bodies), along with the sketchbooks of Leonardo DaVinci; and the anatomical paintings of Frank H. Netter. I turned to the old masters of painting (Da Vinci, Bosch and Jan Van Eych) to study their techniques as a means of teaching myself how to oil paint. Zdzisław Beksiński is the artist who inspired me to pick up the brush and start oil painting in the first place! The moment I first came across his works and the other-worldly sense of terrible beauty in them, I knew that drawing could never capture how they made me feel, and from that moment onwards I have committed myself to the craft of oil painting. He may be the artist I am the most thankful for. I am also influenced by innumerable contemporary visual artists such as; Agostino Arrivabene, Adrian Cox, Henrik Uldalen, Miles Johnston, Lo Chan Peng, Alex Grey and Nicola Samori just to name a few.”
“Above all things, my art attempts to convey an intense gratitude for life and existence.”
What is your creative process like?
“Usually, my work is conceptually planned in advance, I’ll know what feeling, concept or idea I want to portray. Sometimes this is in the form of a fully developed image that appears in my head whereas other times I will want to capture the feeling of a moment or concept. From there I may do a rough minute sketch of the vague composition, but I often don’t plan or go further beyond that point; I’ll want to jump right into the painting. I’m still quite new with oil painting so that inherently requires slightly more forethought. I'm still working out what style of painting works best for me, as I use a different approach for almost every single painting. On the other hand, my approach to drawing is far closer to improv jazz. I may be inspired by the passage from a book or a scene in nature and will know what I want to convey, yet, I’ll have no idea what the final product will look like until I arrive at it.”
What is an artist’s role in society and how do you see that evolving?
“Art is what makes us human, it is the ability to convey messages and themes through metaphor that really makes our species unique. I think it's this kind of abstract language, being able to convey and believe in ideas that are not tangibly real (money, myths, art) that led to Homo Sapiens world domination. I see visual art as one of the earliest forms of this intimately human communication, from the hand paintings in Maltravieso cave to the intricate figurative paintings at Chauvet cave, all the way to the explosion of art we are now submerged by. I think above all, art acts as a supplementation to religion, a sphere that can communicate ideas larger than life, can console us when we are grieving, bring communities together, and teach morality. Whether we know it or not, art is in some sense the glue of commonality that holds societies together, whether that's the biblical writings of the gospels, musicians that have devout followers, or visual art that offers a space to challenge the status quo. Art also offers an escape whether that's through a tv show at the end of a long day, music that offers an empathic companion for any emotional state; aesthetic beauty through home decorations; or even ethical and moral teachings in books and poetry. As a society we need art just as much as artists need to create, it is the fundamental cornerstone of what makes us human beings.”
Have you had any noteworthy exhibitions you'd like to share?
“I recently travelled to Europe to see a vast swath of western art; some notable exhibitions included the Beksinski exhibitions in Warsaw and Sanok Poland; Agostino Arrivabene’s exhibition in Ferrera Italy, the large museums showcasing all of the masters works (Museo del Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza, Uffizi Gallery, Acropolis Museum). Body Works in Amsterdam has an incredible array of human cadavers on display. In Melbourne last year the Adrian Cox exhibition ‘The Labyrinth of Unknowing’ resonated with me deeply, along with the Pharoh exhibition at the NGV. I myself am exhibiting at the BeinArt Gallery in Melbourne this January.”
