Jacques Charoux
Jacques Charoux is a multidisciplinary artist and educator who developed an interest in art from
an early age. He attended a Catholic school in Mauritius at which one of the brothers
encouraged him and his classmates to draw. The brother submitted their work to an
international drawing competition in New Delhi, which Jacques subsequently won. His mother
encouraged him to continue working on his art, and in 1958 he won first prize at the Rose Hill
Council’s ‘Concours d’Art’. The reward consisted of three years of life drawing classes at Serge
Constantin’s studio, located above the Plaza Theatre in Rose Hill, and which was just about the
only art school in Mauritius at the time.
Jacques later joined “Action,” a local newspaper, for whom he took photographs and did the
occasional interview. Alongside this, he continued to exhibit and sell his own work. He and his
architect brother frequented a group of Mauritian artists and writers including Malcolm de
Chazal, Raymonde de Kervern, Marcel Cabon and Robert-Edward Hart.
Jacques left Mauritius for England in 1961 and obtained a diploma from the Central School of
Art in 1964. He then received a grant for a postgraduate diploma at the École Nationale des Arts
Brussels, better known as ‘La Cambre’. At the end of 1965, the British Council sponsored a
show of Jacques’ etchings in Brussels’ Théâtre National. The etchings were then exhibited at
the Decenter Gallery in Glumso, Denmark.
Jacques’ thematic approach ranges from the autobiographical to the universal and the
relationship between the two. “I work in painting, drawing, print-making, sculpture and
photography/video. More precisely: synthetic polymer or oil paint, and more recently encaustic
on canvas, drawing with wax crayon, pen and ink, color pencils, charcoal on handmade paper.”
Jacques’ work has also featured the Coco de Mer as a recurrent theme, and plays with
symbolism and abstraction. His first series on the Coco de Mer was titled ‘Preliminary Research
for a Self-Generated Seed of Being’, and consisted of prints, drawings and paintings.
BORDERLINE[S] showcases Jacques Charoux’ latest work, “Waves”. A kinetic masterpiece, it
interprets the rhythm of life. The artist explains that “nothing is static; all is transient. The
cosmos is in perpetual change and movement, without exception. That’s exactly what I am
trying to demonstrate, and the artwork reflects this.” As they observe “Waves”, viewers will
notice that its pattern creates different impressions according
WORKS
- Jacques Charoux
City Corp NY
Silk screen on Fabriano paper – Artist Proof (A/P 3)
42 x 52 cm
[unframed]
Frame quoted on demand