John Moore (artist)
Encyclopedia
John Mark Moore is a South Africa
n artist
whose passion for wildlife and natural heritage visually fuses themes of spirituality and mysticism. John is a Master Printmaker and has also held teaching positions at Crawford College in Lonehill, Wits Technikon, St. Andrews School, St. John's College and Parktown College. He assisted Philippa Hobbs
as a technical printer, from 1993 to 1996.
and the plight of endangered species, his work often also includes references to Southern Africa's ancient San- and Koi- bushman
rock painting heritage. He represents nature from a conceptual point of view. His style contains elements of the surreal
, tension between esoteric polymorphism and traditional naturalism
which he believes allows the viewer to find their own interpretation of the work and allows it to speak to them personally.
and spending many holidays in the bush, his interaction with the wildlife led to a growing desire to produce wildlife art depicting their interaction in nature. He chose the printmaking medium because it enables one to produce editions and therefore is accessible to more people.
He has donated funds to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Endangered Wildlife Trust
(EWT) and has created specific works for charity fund raising, e.g., Red Nose Day where the work was used as advertising on signboards throughout South Africa. He has also done a commission for Life Line. He completed a work for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund
, which was donated to charity. His most recent donation was a colour woodblock for National AIDS day. He has had several exhibitions, both solo and combined with other artists, in South Africa and overseas.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
whose passion for wildlife and natural heritage visually fuses themes of spirituality and mysticism. John is a Master Printmaker and has also held teaching positions at Crawford College in Lonehill, Wits Technikon, St. Andrews School, St. John's College and Parktown College. He assisted Philippa Hobbs
Philippa Hobbs
Philippa Hobbs is a published South African art historian, an artist and an art collector. She was born in 1955 and matriculated at St Andrew's School in 1972. She studied art at the Johannesburg College of Art before finishing a post-graduate printmaking course at the University of the Arts...
as a technical printer, from 1993 to 1996.
John Moore's art
In addition to depictions of wildlifeWildlife art
Wildlife art is one of humanity's earliest art forms, dating back to prehistoric cave paintings such as those found at the grotto of Lascaux in France....
and the plight of endangered species, his work often also includes references to Southern Africa's ancient San- and Koi- bushman
Bushmen
The indigenous people of Southern Africa, whose territory spans most areas of South Africa, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Mozambique, Swaziland, Botswana, Namibia, and Angola, are variously referred to as Bushmen, San, Sho, Barwa, Kung, or Khwe...
rock painting heritage. He represents nature from a conceptual point of view. His style contains elements of the surreal
Surrealism
Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
, tension between esoteric polymorphism and traditional naturalism
Naturalism (art)
Naturalism in art refers to the depiction of realistic objects in a natural setting. The Realism movement of the 19th century advocated naturalism in reaction to the stylized and idealized depictions of subjects in Romanticism, but many painters have adopted a similar approach over the centuries...
which he believes allows the viewer to find their own interpretation of the work and allows it to speak to them personally.
Background
Having grown up in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
and spending many holidays in the bush, his interaction with the wildlife led to a growing desire to produce wildlife art depicting their interaction in nature. He chose the printmaking medium because it enables one to produce editions and therefore is accessible to more people.
He has donated funds to World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Endangered Wildlife Trust
Endangered Wildlife Trust
The Endangered Wildlife Trust is a South African environmental organisation for the conservation of threatened species and ecosystems in southern Africa....
(EWT) and has created specific works for charity fund raising, e.g., Red Nose Day where the work was used as advertising on signboards throughout South Africa. He has also done a commission for Life Line. He completed a work for the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund
Nelson Mandela Children's Fund
The Nelson Mandela Children's Fund is a charitable organization founded by Nelson Mandela, based in South Africa. Its mission is to help individuals from birth to age 22, particularly orphans of the AIDS crisis.-History:...
, which was donated to charity. His most recent donation was a colour woodblock for National AIDS day. He has had several exhibitions, both solo and combined with other artists, in South Africa and overseas.