Hillel Kagan

About

Born in Toronto in 1947 I am a painter of figurative works in oil, a believer in the struggle to achieve the purely innocent eye while honing the faculties of measurement of the creative physicist. That is, the inner rhythmical clock as opposed to the exterior clocks and devices of grids, plumb lines and computers. The potential to discover new forms and configurations is infinite.
I love Velazquez for his modernity. Vermeer for his sense of space and teaching us how and how not to use the camera. Cezanne of course, as the ultimate plodder of modern art who steadily climbed the mountain. Giacometti, innately more gifted who took up the challenge. And all the other heroes: Picasso when he and Braque were one person. Gris as the best of the lot. Lipschitz, the sculptor and Soutine for bending space. Bomberg and his followers. Bacon, the master trickster. Hopper, de Kooning and Diebenkorn and all my fellow loser artists on this site and elsewhere for dreaming and persisting and never giving up in the face of ridicule, envy and outright contempt. If there weren't any losers, there would be no winners, I salute you all. … Read More

Location: Toronto, ON, Canada
Website: http://www.ccca.ca

Education

1947 Born Toronto. 1964-67 Attended Central Technical School, Toronto, Art Studies Program. 1968 traveled abroad, Europe and Israel. 1969-83 worked in graphics industry and maintained painting studio. 1984- Full time painter.(Exhibitions) 1975- Drawings, Gallery 567, Toronto, group show. 1976- Paintings, Gallery 567, Toronto, group show- 1977. Three painters, Gallery One, Toronto- 1984. The Elmwood Club Gallery, Toronto. 1987- The Anxious Moment, Weller-Potovsky Gallery, Toronto, solo exhibit. 1988- Bill C-54, Weller-Potovsky Gallery, Toronto, group show. 1988- Hillel Kagan Paintings, Weller-Potovsky Gallery, Toronto solo exhibit. 1989- Inaugural Exhibition, Andrew Davies Gallery, Toronto group show. 1991- Albert J. Latner Jewish Library, Toronto Three man Show. 1993- Still Struggling, Starkman Fine Arts, Toront solo exhibit. 1994-"8", Lambton & Cultural Services, Sarnia group show. 1994- Hillel Kagan, Starkman Fine Arts, Toronto solo exhibit. 1995- "8", Justina Barnicke Gallery, Hart House, University of Toronto, group show. 1998- Hillel Kagan. The Subway Paintings, D&E Lake Ltd.,Toronto solo exhibit. 1998- "8", Rodman Hall Arts Centre, St. Catharines group show. 2000- "Not So Still Lives", Peterson Fine Arts. 2001- Paintings, Gallery One, Toronto group show. 2002- Gallery One, Toronto group show. 2003- Paintings, Nicola Rukaj Gallery , Toronto group show. 2004- Fundamentally Heads, Nicola Rukaj Gallery, Toronto solo exhibit. 2005- Subway Series, Nikola Rukaj Gallery, Toronto solo exhibit. 2007-Art Process 2007, International Group Exhibition, Trapani, Sicily, … Read More