Born in Ujpest, Hungary in 1929, Caroline Dukes first studied art in Budapest. Under the communist regime, art students were allowed to portray images only in a realistic style. After she immigrated to Toronto, in 1958, her art style and choice of subject matter served as a rebellion against her former indoctrination in Hungary.
In 1968, she moved to Winnipeg, to study at the University of Manitoba's School of Art. In the early 1970s, existential philosophy and literature became the influence of her work. Her work went through several transformations through the years: In her Landscape series spirituality enters the work,
mphasizing light and atmosphere. The next series of works focussed primarily on architecture, retaining the marks of her previous landscape series. The series, "At the Focus of Forces" (1989) revolves specifically around scenes of Jerusalem. Dukes commented on her interest in Jerusalem in 1990, saying "there (in Jerusalem) layers of civilizations have evolved...The eerie quality of ancient stones, structures and ruins is intensified by the contrast between light and shade and by the confusion of colours and cultures. Despite its turbulent history, the place emanates an aura of spirituality and peace." In 1996, Dukes created the intensely personal "Remember . . . Relate . . . Retell", a multi-media work that includes works on paper, photographs, text, ready-made objects, video, audio, and constructions. The work is a journey through her own memory. She died in 2003.
