Jean-Octave Thiran was born on may 29 th, 1943, in Leopoldsburg, Belgium,
into a middle class family. His father, Octaaf Thiran, a high ranking officer in the Belgium Military, and his mother,
a homemaker, moved shortly after Jean's birth. First to the coastal area and finally settled in Antwerp. Lather he
moved to Brasschaat. Being the youngest of 7 children, already at a young age, Jean showed interest for drawing and
had always been fascinated by the techniques of the great painters. His passion for the arts with time only grew stronger.
Not capable of enjoying formal training, Jean-Octave replaced schooling
by working hard, Studying by himself and trying to learn as much as he could from both negative and positive criticism.
Finally, after numerous group exhibitions, the hard work paid off. In 1976, at the age of 33, Jean-Octave had his first solo
Exhibition at the Art Gallery 'Den Bellaert' in Antwerp. His graphic work was met with an overwelming success and when
just 3 years later another exhibition at the same art gallery, proved as successful as the first, he realized his
first big break.
Regardless of the success though, Jean-Octave was not one to sit on his
laurels. Just a few years later he came out with a new style, Aquarels. This proved to be without doubt one of the more
difficult but definately one of the more exciting disciplines in which he had engrossed himself. Fascinated by the atmosphere
of Antwerps harbor, the main theme throughout his works became the 'Ships in the Harbor'. Although this had been done before,
he managed to create an atmosphere, a climate and a lightning in his artwork different from most all other marine painters.
In his continuing quest, the next challenge was the oil painting technique.
To accomplish this feat, he decided to get formal training and joined the Academy for Plastic Arts, in the department for Oil
Painting and supporting arts. This is where he specialized in Classical and contemporary techniques. Needless to say, Jean-Octave
graduated with honors. Regardless of the training, Jean kept following his own style. A style driven by an unsatiable
enthousiasme for the arts. A constant striving for perfection, the attempts to capture not the subject but rather to translate
the environment, allows the viewer dream alongside in a world of color and feelings.
Jean-Octave has paid his dues. He has given more then 30 Exhibitions and has
sold artworks in Belgium, the Netherlands, UK, Canada, USA and Israel, and that seems to be just the beginning... and thusfar
both artist and critics alike have praised his work. The latest addition is the 1960 up till 2010 also Jazz scene.
Here are some such a comments from his peers:
Jan van der Meulen, Art Crtic: His love for his city is translated into his work.
Sofie Dupray, Poet: Jean Thiran, a Titan in his art.
Bert Pelemans, Poet: Driven by fire, he gave the City by the Schelde (Belgian River) it's soul.
Renι Turkry, Art Critic: Beautiful ensembles, Very romantic work.
Mieke Coenen, Sculptor: Aquarel or Oilpaint, he knows them both, His marinescapes are amazing.
Photogallery:
Milc for the cat
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Miles Davis
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Harbour activity by night
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Sydney Bechet
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Tenderness
