Israeli Creative Individual Matan Ben Cnaan Wins Bp Portrait Prize 2015

The winners of the prizes at the BP Portrait Awards Ceremony terminal black are every bit follows....

BP Portrait Award 2015 - £30,000 First Prize

35-year-old Israeli creative mortal Matan Ben-Cnaan won the £30,000 showtime prize in addition to a committee worth £5,000 for his ikon of Annabelle in addition to Guy.

Matan Ben Cnaan, Winner of the BP Portrait 2015 First Prize

alongside this ikon of Annabelle in addition to Guy

Judges’ comments - Annabelle in addition to Guy: ‘The judges were struck yesteryear the engaging filmic narrative of this neo-Realist ikon in addition to the unnerving atmosphere that surrounds it. The painting’s setting in addition to the handling of intense calorie-free in addition to deep shadow was much admired.’

Apparently inwards add-on to non knowing who painted the portrait, the judges also know nix of the floor behind the ikon when judging.

This portrait is a contemporary reworking of the echo of the Biblical floor of Jephthah.

In this floor an Israelite justice vowed on entering battle that should he win, he volition sacrifice the showtime matter that greets him upon his home-coming, believing it to go a dog. However, on his return, it is his miss who rushes out inwards welcome. Realising the tragic error he has made, he upholds his vow in addition to sacrifices his child.

I mean value it's fair to nation that non everybody would go familiar alongside the floor despite the fact that it's been the dependent area of many paintings over the twelvemonth (check out the Internet every bit I but did for Jephthah's vow). However if you receive got renowned fine art historian Simon Schama on the panel of Judges it's real unlikely he didn't recognise the allegorical content.

I mean value it's also odd inwards that it's gear upward out to go an allegorical ikon of a historical floor every bit opposed to a contemporary portrait of 2 people in addition to their dog. It's ever adept to run across paintings alongside content!

BP Portrait Award First Prize - Presentation Ceremony
(Left to right) Simon Schama, Matan Ben Cnaan, Dr Nicholas Cullinan
(the novel Director of the National Portrait Gallery) in addition to Carl-Henric Svanberg the Chairman of BP

TIP for futurity BP entries:

Think nigh the floor nigh your portrait - in addition to whether that portrait tells that story
Think nigh the judges in addition to what they mightiness convey to the selection of content
There's 1 betoken nigh the ikon which the judges don't seem to receive got noticed - in addition to to go honest neither did I. However other artists who receive got entered the contest receive got keener eyes in addition to receive got been commenting nigh the missing shadows from the chair legs. So banking concern agree your shadows before y'all submit your entry!

Second Prize: £10,000

Winner of the BP Portrait Award Second Prize (£10,000) - Michael Gaskell
alongside his portrait of Eliza

Judges’ comments - Eliza: ‘The judges agreed that this is a highly accomplished portrait, revealing the influence of Vermeer in addition to Dutch seventeenth-century paintings piece also a having a seemingly modern, timeless quality.’

An audible groan went upward from the audience terminal black when people realised that Simon Schama, who was announcing the prizes, was starting to pull Michael Gaskell as the minute prizewinner.

I don't mean value Simon Schama quite understood the argue although many inwards the audience did.

The argue beingness - also lots of people liking his portrait - was because Michael has won the BP portrait accolade minute prize THREE times before. I spoke to him beforehand in addition to he wasn't optimistic nigh winning in addition to I gauge that's the means to play it if y'all receive got been in addition to then nigh in addition to silent missed out in addition to then many times before.

However the adept matter is he hasn't entered for 5 years - since the terminal fourth dimension he won minute prize - in addition to he's inwards the superlative 3 again! That's quite some record!

He's fifty-fifty switched from oils to acrylics in addition to believe it or non taught himself how to pigment alongside acrylics alongside this painting! (I'll go checking this out alongside him inwards my interview alongside him this morning).

Eliza is a minute portrait of his niece Eliza. She sat for him inwards early on 2014 at the historic current of 14, having showtime sat for a portrait for her uncle when she was a real minor child. You tin give the sack run across a large digital paradigm of the portrait on his blog
In a lot of pregnant fine art competitions, the showtime prize is £10,000. However inwards this contest that's the value of the minute prize. It's quite some consolation for coming second.

Third Prize £8,000

Castilian creative mortal Borja Buces Renard, 36 won the 3rd prize of £8,000 for My Mother in addition to My Brother on a Dominicus Evening.

Winner of the BP Portrait Award 3rd Prize (£7,000) - Borja Buces Renard
for his ikon My Mother in addition to My Brother on a Dominicus Evening.

Judges’ comments - My Mother in addition to My Brother on a Dominicus Evening: ‘The judges were drawn to the intensity of the human relationship depicted betwixt this couple, which was assumed to go that of woman bring upward in addition to son. There was much admiration for the loose, unfinished lineament of the painting.’

This is a portrait of his woman bring upward Paloma in addition to his blood brother Jaime inwards the living room of his parents’ house. His manful mortal bring upward who had been sick for some fourth dimension passed away a few weeks later the ikon was finished.

You tin give the sack read to a greater extent than nigh the paintings of the prize-winning artists inwards my before weblog postal service Shortlist for £30000 BP Portrait Award 2015 announced

Young Artist of the Year

New York based creative mortal Eleana Antonaki, 25, won The BP Young Artist Award for a portrait of her friend in addition to emerging creative mortal Julie Laenkhom

Eleana Antonaki - Winner of the BP Portrait 2015 - The Young Artist Award

Judges’ comments – J.: ‘The judges were intrigued yesteryear the enigmatic, futuristic narrative of this painting, which was quite dissimilar whatever other inwards the competition. They felt that this portrait successfully explores the isolation of contemporary life.’

BP Travel Award 2015

French creative mortal Magali Cazo won the BP Travel Award 2015

She proposes to locomote to a community of bronze-smelters inwards Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, West Africa. Magali was inspired yesteryear the bright colours of the landscape, the architecture in addition to the wearing clothing on a previous see to Bobo-Dioulasso. Her go volition go displayed inwards adjacent year's exhibition

Magali Cazo - Winner of the BP Travel Award 2015

More nigh the BP Portrait Exhibition 2015

As per usual, this calendar week I volition go doing a serial of weblog posts nigh the exhibition including:

video interviews alongside the prizewinners
a postal service nigh the exhibition yesteryear the winner of the BP Travel Award 2014
a review of in addition to video walk some the exhibition

Don't forget to banking concern agree dorsum to read to a greater extent than nigh this real prestigious competition

The BP Portrait Award 2015 Exhibition opens to the populace on Th at the National Portrait Gallery.