Review: Threadneedle Prize Exhibition 2012

The most of import matter yous bespeak to know close this year's Exhibition for the Threadneedle Prize 2012 is that it's the biggest together with the best inwards this fine art competition's v twelvemonth history.

It feels similar it's come upwards of age,  It's equally good doing made a saltation forwards inside the context of a really salubrious novel appetite for figuration inwards prototype equally this year's blockbuster shows yesteryear Hockney together with Freud induce got clearly demonstrated.

The challenge directly for this contest is that each twelvemonth of contest should contribute towards the evolution of a vocabulary of together with close figuration based essentially on observation of the existent world.

Threadneedle Prize 2012 - Exhibition at the Mall Galleries
The West Gallery
The long term vision together with direction of this Prize is to advance a modern illustration for figuration, non to haul it backwards or to confine its development
Lewis McNaught
Unlike last year's exhibition, this actually does experience similar an exhibition of contemporary together with figurative prototype together with sculpture.

Unlike in conclusion twelvemonth I induce got no complaints.  That said I wouldn't induce got selected all the plant together with my shortlist would induce got been unlike (so no surprises there!) - soundless I exercise really much experience that this twelvemonth nosotros induce got an exhibition which is much to a greater extent than worthy of the biggest prize for a unmarried fine art operate inwards the UK.

I peculiarly similar the opinion taken yesteryear the Selectors this twelvemonth - equally explained yesteryear Lewis McNaught, the Mall Galleries Director, inwards his introduction to the Exhibition (which is equally good a "recommended read" yesteryear me)
Mindful of their responsibleness to keep together with educate the competition's standards, the iii selectors....adopted a rigorous approach to selection, scrutinising during the class of a long selection solar daytime the execution together with complete of each operate that had passed an online pre-selection process
He equally good notes that many of the plant rejected from the opened upwards submission were ones where the concluding complete together with the lineament of the execution did non quite check the cracking originality together with concept.  I'm thinking this may good discovery its way into guidance for artists side yesteryear side year

I'm guessing that about artists reading this volition directly live bouncing upwards together with downward together with cheering given that the lineament of the execution is existence identified equally an explicit together with of import factor inwards choosing plant for the exhibition - with those relating to exploring notions of what figurative agency together with the thought behind the operate together with its aesthetic appeal.  I'm guessing at that topographic point were rather a lot of comments close about of the plant inwards in conclusion year's demo which prompted the bespeak to reassert the notion that lineament of complete does actually count for something.  However those who read this post together with contemplate entering operate side yesteryear side twelvemonth equally good bespeak to live mindful of the fact that technique solitary volition non larn artwork into this show.

The Exhibition tin ship away live seen at the Mall Galleries until 13th October.  If yous visit, yous tin ship away vote for the Visitor's Choice Award (£10,000).  You tin ship away equally good view the plant online.

The Winners of the Threadneedle Prize and the Visitor's Choice Prize - together with the runners upwards volition live announced at an Awards Dinner on tenth Oct - at which I'm going to endeavour alive blogging!

Tomorrow I'll live posting close my selection of the plant that I'd induce got made my brusk listing - together with my predictions equally to who volition win the Prizes.

So - on with my review of the exhibition - together with lots to a greater extent than images!

Entrance to the West Gallery on Preview Night when the Shortlisted Artists were announced.
The 153 plant inwards the exhibition brand all iii galleries together with spaces experience comfortably amount rather than crowded.  To me it felt much to a greater extent than similar the visual richness of an fine art fair together with a lot less similar an "arty farty" gallery with lots of white space

The growth inwards the numbers of plant inwards the demo equally good hateful many to a greater extent than people are going to discovery many to a greater extent than plant that they similar a lot.

The hang is excellent.  I actually enjoyed the way paintings together with sculpture had been grouped together with juxtaposed together with the way the long walls had been broken up.

Portraits together with paintings of people are grouped inwards a corner of the North Gallery
- along with a really figurative sculpture
A grouping of smaller soundless life paintings

A grouping of clouds - inwards blues together with greys
There's a lot of little sculptures inwards the exhibition - displayed inwards cases together with grouped on display boxes
Part of a really large sculpture - of which to a greater extent than tomorrow
Robert Truscott - Defeat,
Mixed Media, Plaster, Epoxy Putty, Material on Armature, 367x167x49cm, £30,000
I constitute it quite heavy on the monochromatic - although I'm non sure that's been recognised.  There's sure color inwards at that topographic point - but overall I wouldn't telephone telephone it a highly colourful show.

A display of 2 plant inwards the Threadneedle Space (the erstwhile East gallery)(left) Francisca Prietto - Between Folds/Paris 1831,
Rare old book: Paris And Its Environs yesteryear A. Pugin & C. Heath; 1831, 136x106cm, £8,600
(right) Marianne Morlid - Extra Heavy Crude,
Bitumen on canvas, 168x168cm, £2000
Monochromatic patterns together with triangular shapes inwards charcoal
left) Planar Resonance - Ilse Black,
Graphite powder, pencil, charcoal on paper, 100cm x 78cm, £2500
(right) Olympic Stadium Nearing Completion - Jeanette Barnes,
compressed charcoal, 169cm x 225cm, £14,000
What it lacks inwards color it sure makes upwards inwards other elements of pattern - there's an emphasis on line, texture, form together with pattern throughout the demo - oft inwards the monochromatic works.  In brusk it's a much to a greater extent than visually enriching show.

Now for about negatives.

There are about plant which, to live honest, I holler back operate improve equally digital images online rather than on the wall.  Some may good generate cries of "How did that larn in?" soundless I desire to emphasise that inwards my sentiment these are really much inwards the minority.

However I induce got a work with about of the prices on the artwork - peculiarly where I know that an creative individual does non usually accuse this form of toll for their work.  I don't know whether artists are taking a Pb from about of the prices charged for operate inwards before shows.  I don't know whether they experience the bespeak to hike upwards their prices to live taken seriously. I would tell that nobody likes to discovery that they induce got paid over the odds - fifty-fifty if they're a banker together with "in funds"!  Some of the higher priced plant are justified yesteryear the nature together with size of the operate together with the artist's rail tape inwards sales.  Some are not.  I'll move out it at that - together with caution artists entering side yesteryear side year's demo to induce got a long difficult holler back close what they'd tell to an actual or potential purchaser who contacted them to hash out the toll charged for a operate of art.  In my view, the cardinal to pricing is consistency together with non opportunism or ambition.

In tomorrow's post:

More close the Threadneedle Prize

For to a greater extent than close the Threadneedle Prize 2012 - together with the Prize inwards before years - meet my before posts (and images) below

2012 Threadneedle Prize

2011 Threadneedle Prize
Other data close fine art competitions inwards the UK: Art Competitions inwards the UK - this includes links to before years of the Threadneedle Prize

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