This month we are taking a closer look at a stunning painting by celebrated Cornwall-based artist Kurt Jackson (b 1961). The painting is entitled Biodiversity and Taxonomy. It was very generously gifted to the University of Exeter earlier this year, by the artist and his wife Caroline.

About the painting

This remarkable large-scale artwork (height 3.2m, width 2m) is not only a landscape painting but a visual demonstration of Kurt Jackson’s passion for the richness of the living organisms which he finds arounds himself as he paints; look carefully and you will see them written in the sky and annotated on hand-labelled postal tags. The artist invites to notice the biodiversity of life forms – not only the myriad of plants, insects, birds and animals which are present, but the way they depend on each other for survival. As the title of the painting suggests, this annotation is a way of classifying the fauna and flora which the artist has witnessed; a form of taxonomy.

The work was created specifically to hang in the Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) on the University’s Cornwall Campus in Penryn. The ESI is an interdisciplinary centre leading cutting-edge research into the problems of, and solutions to, environmental change. Its work aligns with Kurt Jackson’s long-held interest in environmental issues and the painting sends a strong message about how important it is to notice and appreciate biodiversity.

The painting can be viewed in the atrium area of the ESI, an area which is accessible to the public.

Read the poem Whilst painting on a cliff, written by Kurt Jackson to accompany the painting:

Find out more about Kurt Jackson’s thoughts on Biodiversity in his paintings in the video below.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is a measure of variation, at the genetic, species and ecosystem level.

Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the science that deals with naming, describing and classification of all living organisms including plants.

About the artist

Kurt Jackson was born in Blandford, Dorset into an artistic family. He studied Zoology at Oxford University but whilst there, spent much of his time painting and attending courses at Ruskin College of Art. On gaining his degree he travelled extensively and independently, painting wherever he went before putting down roots in Cornwall with his wife Caroline in 1984.

His commitment to the environment, and the complexity, diversity and fragility of the natural world is central both to his politics and his art. He has been artist in residence at the Glastonbury Festival for around 20 years and has also had residencies on the Greenpeace ship Esperanza, at the Woodland Trust and at the Eden Project.

He has an Honorary Doctorate (DLitt) from the University of Exeter and is an Honorary Fellow of St Peter's College, Oxford University. He is an academician at the Royal West of England Academy.

Acknowledgements:

Kurt and Caroline Jackson
Jackson Foundation: www.jacksonfoundationgallery.com
Kurt Jackson website: www.kurtjackson.com
Victoria Art Gallery Bath: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoiULqKU5EY
Wikipedia: Kurt Jackson https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurt_Jackson