{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}} {{Use British English|date=February 2017}} '''Calum Colvin''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE|RSA}} (born Glasgow, 1961) is a Scottish artist whose work combines photography, painting, and installation, and often deals with issues of Scottish identity and culture and with the history of art. He has had solo exhibitions at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Scottish National Portrait Gallery, and Royal Scottish Academy and has a number of works in the collections of the National Galleries of Scotland, Tate Galleries, and the British Council.<ref name=ngs>{{cite web|title=Calum Colvin|url=http://www.nationalgalleries.org/collection/322/C/2957/artist_name/Calum%20Colvin/|work=National Galleries of Scotland|accessdate=24 January 2014}}</ref><ref name=tate>{{cite web|title=Calum Colvin|url=https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/calum-colvin-13197|work=Tate|accessdate=24 January 2014}}</ref> He is also Professor of Fine Art Photography and Programme Director, Art & Media at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, part of the University of Dundee.<ref>{{cite web|title=Calum Colvin|url=http://www.dundee.ac.uk/djcad/staff/calumcolvin/|work=University of Dundee|accessdate=24 January 2014}}</ref><ref name=cv/>

==Life and work== Colvin studied at Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee from 1979 to 1983, gaining a diploma in sculpture, and at the Royal College of Art, London from 1983 to 1985, where he was awarded an MA in photography.<ref name=cv>{{cite web|title=CV|url=http://www.calumcolvin.com/cv.htm|work=CalumColvin.com|accessdate=24 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512182934/http://www.calumcolvin.com/cv.htm|archive-date=12 May 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref>

His art generally involves taking a roomful of objects and painting a design on them so that when seen from one particular viewpoint it appears to form a flat image in a ''trompe-l'œil'' style. However, when seen from any other viewpoint the illusion would be broken. Colvin then takes photographs of the room from the particular viewpoint that preserves the illusion and exhibits the photograph. This means that at first glance the viewer thinks they see a flat image and only gradually can pick out the details revealing they are seeing a three-dimensional scene.<ref name=Jamieson>{{cite news|last=Jamieson|first=Teddy|title=Interview: Calum Colvin: 'I grew up in a country with no say in its own future'|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/visual/interview-calum-colvin-i-grew-up-in-a-country-with-no-say-in-its-own-future.1370833204|accessdate=24 January 2014|newspaper=The Glasgow Herald|date=9 June 2013}}</ref>

His images are full of bright colours, and he initially worked with the Cibachrome colour process, commonly used in advertising and commercial photography.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Hodgson|first=Francis|title=Photography Two Scottish Photographers: Calum Colvin and Ewan Fraser|journal=The Spectator|date=5 March 1988|page=37|url=http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/5th-march-1988/37/photography-two-scottish-photographers-calum-colvi}}</ref>

His exhibition ''Ossian Fragments of Ancient Poetry'' (2002) was inspired by James Macpherson's fraudulent works attributed to the ancient Celtic poet Ossian.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gaskill|first=Howard|title=The Reception of Ossian in Europe|year=2004|publisher=Continuum|page=404|isbn=9780826461353|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uDYPtqw0MHwC&dq=calum+colvin+ossian&pg=PA404}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Miller|first=Phil|title=Mythical third century Celtic bard returns in Calum Colvin exhibition for National Galleries tour of Scotland Artist breathes new life into tale of Ossian|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/spl/aberdeen/mythical-third-century-celtic-bard-returns-in-calum-colvin-exhibition-for-national-galleries-tour-of-scotland-artist-breathes-new-life-into-tale-of-ossian-1.139297|accessdate=24 January 2014|newspaper=The Glasgow Herald|date=13 September 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Cox|first=Roger|title=Pick of the day Ossian - Fragments of Ancient Poetry|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-13002316.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924184331/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-13002316.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 September 2015|accessdate=24 January 2014|newspaper=The Scotsman|date=4 October 2002}}</ref><ref name="price-independent">{{cite news|last=Price|first=Stuart|title=Books: Pick of the week Ossian - Fragments of Ancient Poetry: new works by Calum Colvin To 9 Feb Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1722016.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140124123908/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1722016.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=24 January 2014|accessdate=24 January 2014|newspaper=The Independent (UK)|date=28 December 2002}}</ref> His exhibition ''Natural Magic'' (2009), took its title from David Brewster's ''Letters on Natural Magic''; Brewster pioneered photography in Scotland as well as inventing the kaleidoscope and other optical devices. Colvin played with ideas about illusions and vision, including examining claims that Renaissance artist Jacopo Chimenti had invented stereoscopic images. The exhibition received a five star review from ''The Scotsman''.<ref name="scotsman">{{cite news|title=Art review: Calum Colvin, Natural Magic|url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/art-review-calum-colvin-natural-magic-1-1028390|accessdate=24 January 2014|newspaper=The Scotsman|date=9 March 2009}}</ref>

==Exhibitions== *''The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things,'' 1993. Inspired by Hieronymous Bosch.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gallery23.org.uk/2017/02/03/artist-talk-calum-colvin-burnsiana/|title=Artist Talk: Calum Colvin & Burnsiana|last=gallery23edinburgh|date=2017-02-03|website=Gallery 23|language=en|access-date=2019-01-24}}</ref> *''Sacred and Profane,'' Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, 1998<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.edinburghprintmakers.co.uk/calum_colvin|title=Edinburgh Printmakers|website=Edinburgh Printmakers|language=en-GB|access-date=2019-01-24}}</ref> *''Ossian Fragments of Ancient Poetry,'' Scottish National Portrait Gallery, 2002<ref name="price-independent" /> *''Natural Magic,'' Royal Scottish Academy, 2009<ref name="scotsman" /> *''Burnsiana,'' 2013. Exhibition and book produced in collaboration with poet Rab Wilson.<ref>{{cite news|title=Arts News|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/arts-ents/visual/arts-news.1367373901|accessdate=24 January 2014|newspaper=The Glasgow Herald|date=30 April 2013}}</ref>

==Permanent collections== Colvin's work is held in the following permanent collections: *National Galleries of Scotland collection, including a portrait of composer James MacMillan and versions of Peter Paul Rubens's The Feast of Herod and Titian's Venus Anadyomene.<ref name=ngs/> *British Council<ref>{{cite web|title=Calum Colvin|url=http://collection.britishcouncil.org/collection/artist/.../18924|work=British Council|accessdate=24 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203021427/http://collection.britishcouncil.org/collection/artist/.../18924|archive-date=3 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> *Tate Galleries.<ref name=tate/>

==Awards== *Member of the Royal Scottish Academy{{Citation needed|date=September 2016}} *OBE, 2001, for his contribution to the visual arts{{Citation needed|date=September 2016}}

==References== {{Reflist|2}}

==External links== *{{Official website|calumcolvin.com}}

{{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Colvin, Calum}} Category:Scottish artists Category:1961 births Category:Academics of the University of Dundee Category:Alumni of the University of Dundee Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:Living people Category:Alumni of Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art & Design