Background
John Chester Cato was born on November 2, 1926 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. He was the son of Jack Cato, who was a photographer, historian, and a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.
John Chester Cato was born on November 2, 1926 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. He was the son of Jack Cato, who was a photographer, historian, and a fellow of the Royal Photographic Society.
John Cato apprenticed under his father and names Athol-Shmith as a major influence.
John Cato was head of photography at Prahran College of Advanced Education in Melbourne, Australia, where he lectured in 1975-1976. He was a senior lecturer at Photography Studies College in Melbourne in 1977-1979. From 1950 to 1974 John Cato was director and photographer for Athol-Shmith, John Cato Pty. Ltd. He was a photojournalist for The Argus in Melbourne (1947-1950) and was in the Royal Australian Navy (1944-1946).
He moved away from the commercial photography world in 1974 after experiencing what he described as "a kind of menopause". Shortly after leaving his partnership with Athol Shmith, Cato began his teaching career and started to focus on fine art photography. Cato was one of the first photographers in Melbourne to give up their commercial practice to become a fine art photographer.
Quotations: "The meeting of land and sea has always held a mystic fascination for me. Through my camera, my experience of it has been heightened, my awareness of its wonder deepened. Above all, I remember its clamorous silence."
John Cato was known for being a very humble photographer. He never intended for himself or his work to become famous. In his mind, the work was its own reward. He was a passionate and generous teacher and was highly regarded by his students and peers. He described himself as being "duty bound" to share his experience with students and colleagues.
Quotes from others about the person
Paul Cox: "He was a dreamer. I always adored him. John had a wonderful heart; he was tender for a man. You know you don’t know many people like that."
Paul Cox: "Ego is always the biggest limitation of an artist, but John had no ego. He was a free man."
Isobel Crombie, head photography curator at the National Gallery of Victoria: "He was different in that he did not have the huge ego of some of his contemporaries."