September 22, 2019 - September 30, 2019
White River, South Africa
Cliekc here to view: John Moore's Exhibtion on Art.co.za
White River Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition of art by wildlife multi-media printmaker and artist, John Mark Moore.
Moore is a South African artist whose passion for wildlife and natural heritage visually fuses themes of spirituality and mysticism. Moore's grandparents often 'took the kids on safari' to various National Parks which included Kruger National Park, the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, and Namibia.
They grew to love and appreciate wildlife in every form. They enjoyed not only the wonder of the Big Five but also the complexity and detail of the little things.
Moore remembers sitting in waterholes for hours armed with binoculars, nature books, and sketchbooks where he had time to study birds, trees, and insects. Over the years his appreciation for detail and micro-organisms has been firmly entrenched into his images.
Depictions of wildlife and the plight of endangered species also include references to Southern Africa's San- and Khoi rock painting heritage. He looks upon these people as the fathers of the land and focuses on their connection to the fauna, flora, and the spirits of their ancestors. He incorporated water into many of his works, symbolizing rebirth and cleansing.
More recently he has focused on the spiritual aspects of life. He has created a Muse Series using South African antelope interacting with Greek Mythological beings. He uses the element of light to portray spiritual awakening, almost as if the animals have a message to give to the viewer. He often portrays animals with halos, highlighting their saintliness. He uses vibrant colours in his work to portray emotions and to instil a sense of the energy that is Africa.
He represents nature from a conceptual point of view. His style contains elements of the surreal, tension between esoteric and traditional polymorphism and traditional naturalism which he believes allows the viewer to find their interpretation of the work and allows it to speak to them personally.
Moore specializes in woodblock and lithographs. He is a printmaker who uses established traditional techniques, printing with The Artists Press also based in White River.
He chose the printmaking medium because it enables one to produce editions and thereby accessible to more people.