Image: Hepworth Wakefield
Karl Torok, painter (1950 – 2015), was born in Bradford of Hungarian parentage; he studied printmaking at Bradford College of Art, 1968-72.
His first solo exhibition was held at New Lane Gallery, Bradford in 1973. He became part of the Yorkshire based group, the ‘New Arcadians’ and in 1978 and 1983 held solo exhibitions at Cartwright Hall.
He made gardens, particularly topiary, a major focus of his work, and has collaborated with other ‘garden’ artists to produce work, including Ian Hamilton Finlay. Watercolour and pen and ink are his main mediums and he has illustrated books on topiary and related subjects.
Torok was one of the early advocates for using computer generated or enhanced art, and his work using a computer to rework his own photo images was chosen for the Food for Thought exhibition at the Manor House, Ilkley, in 1987.
Karl Torok was using computers in the 1980s to produce artwork.
Examples of his paintings can be found in the Bradford Art Galleries Collections, the Hepworth Wakefield, and ‘Paintings in Hospital’ Collection.
‘The Judge’s Wig and Archway, Levens Hall’. Image: Paintings in Hospital Collection
Reference:
In A Summer Garden: Paintings and drawings by Karl Torok. Published by Bradford Art Galleries and Museums, 1978.