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Review: Bp Portrait Honor Exhibition 2012 (Part 2)

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This post service most the BP Portrait Award 2012 follows on from my analysis yesterday of what I saw every bit the factors which practise together with practise non influence which plant gets selected for the BP Portrait Award

In Part 2, I desire to comment mostly on plant inward this year's exhibition together with highlight inward detail some of the non-prizewinning plant that I like

First off, to my heed in that place is absolutely no inquiry that the best portrait inward the exhibit won the plough over prize.  That said, in that place is yet an awful lot of plough over character portrait icon inward the show.

I highly recommend that anybody seriously contemplating an entry to the BP Portrait Award 2013 should

  1. review the various factors which appear to me to influence which portraits (and artists) acquire selected for the exhibition - see my Review: BP Portrait Award Exhibition 2012 (Part 1) 
  2. get themselves to the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery inward London earlier September to run into the show! Or grab some of the exhibit when it journeys to Edinburgh together with Exeter.
Overview of the Exhibition

Here's some of the things I noticed:
  • Fewer "big heads" - the tendency seems to last going dorsum to "normal" portraiture.  However those that were painted are rattling impressive.  
  • Lots of realism - which agency if you lot desire to become far every bit a painter of realism you lot demand to last rattling expert indeed!
  • Fewer "painterly" plant than I'd similar to see
  • A lot of smaller works - I'm guessing this mightiness partly last to practise amongst the distances which some plant are at nowadays travelling to last judged for this exhibition - I run into they're at nowadays making the journeying from Australia!
  • More monochromatic or close monochromatic plant than usual - including some large works
  • Fewer people inward context - I select an an impression of fewer plant amongst an interesting contextual background which helped to tell the even out of the person.  I honor this because I similar expert backgrounds which add together to the even out of the individual or straightaway convey a feel of who this individual is.
  • More tattoos than hitherto!
  • Almost all involved icon simply 1 person.
I liked the hang (which you lot tin forcefulness out run into something of inward my previous post).  Having smaller plant punctuate the larger plant helped me run into together with hence to a greater extent than easily.  

Artwork worthy of a closer look

Here are a few of the pantings which kept me looking at them for longer.  I'm going to effort together with explicate why.

Iain Cumberland - Today You Were Far Away

Today You Were Far Away
by Ian Cumberland, 2012
stone oil on canvas, 150 x 100 cm (59" x 39")
© Ian Cumberland
I'd select shortlisted Iain Cumberland - every bit he was final yr when he won 3rd prize.

He paints amongst incredible command over the tones together with modulations of the flesh.  This self-portrait is also haunting - I kept existence drawn dorsum to it together with wondering whether it represented a break-up or a expiry rather than simply fourth dimension apart from a loved one.  I also liked the Holbein-like subdued blueish dark-green background - which plant hence good amongst flesh colours.  That said it is a "big head" together with I'd similar to run into a chip to a greater extent than of the private inward his entry side past times side year.  Iain is without uncertainty a contender for the plough over prize together with I retrieve he needs to pigment the "as if" a committee for the NPG icon side past times side fourth dimension roughly - to exhibit he can.

If you're inward Dublin during the summertime you lot tin forcefulness out grab to a greater extent than of his operate at the The Royal Hibernian Academy Annual Exhibition, Dublin 29 May - nineteen August 2012 where he won "The Republic of Ireland – United States of America of America Council & Irish Gaelic Arts Review Portrait Prize" (€5,000).

Carl Randall - Mr Kitazawa's Noodle Bar, Tokyo

Mr Kitazawa's Noodle Bar, Tokyo
by Carl Randall, 2012
Oil on canvas, 161.5 x 96.5 cm
© Carl Randall
This grouping portrait is of the artist’s friends together with colleagues inward Tokyo together with was painted from life. Although the noodle store brings people together to eat, Randall says: ‘the fundamental subject is urban isolation – anonymous strangers together but separate.’
I'd dearest to run into to a greater extent than portrait icon which involves groups of people.  People don't be inward isolation.  They shape utilisation of communities.  Looking at how people bear inside their social groups tells you lot a lot most them together with their environment.

I establish 1 icon rattling impressive - together with that's because it portrays a grouping of people together with does that extremely well.  Given the lack of other paintings of groups it also stands out from the crowd.

In Tokyo, it's mutual for people to alive together with last inward crowded spaces.  When I met Carl Randall he suggested I await at how, despite their proximity, all the people are operating inward their ain chip of space.  Nobody actually connects - it's a grouping portrait of urban isolation inward Tokyo, involving a lot of existent people.  He's icon the human status every bit good every bit the portraits of a grouping of individuals. What I liked most this icon was it has an authenticity most it.  Plus icon inward monochrome emphasises the nature of the relationships to a greater extent than - together with allows us to run into something which nosotros mightiness select missed if we'd been distracted past times also much colour.  I wasn't surprised to larn that Carl had lived inward Tokyo for viii years together with that this was his local noodle bar.  Painting what you lot know good is ever a expert recipe for success.  Apparently each of the heads took Carl most 2-3 hours to paint.

Carl studied at the Slade School Of Fine Art inward London, where he won several awards, including twice winning a prize inward The William Coldstream Painting Competition, a Duveen Travel Scholarship to Italy, together with the £15000 1st prize inward The Singer & Friedlander/Sunday Times Watercolour Competition.

Carl has also won the BP Travel Award for 2012 together with has a first-class proposal for his projection which actually appealed to me.  More most this side past times side week.

Benjamin Sullivan - Head Porter

This is the painting.  Note the size - it's non big.

Head Porter
by Benjamin Sullivan, 2012
Oil on canvas
245 x 345 mm (9.6" x 13.6")
© Benjamin Sullivan
This is the human face upward of the Head Porter of All Souls College inward Oxford University.  In reality the caput is perchance a pair of inches high - which makes the sensitivity of the colouration together with the icon all the to a greater extent than remarkable.  This is non a human being trying to last a miniaturist - it's a human being who's an extremely competent painter together with who tin forcefulness out pigment pocket-sized heads rattling well.

Head Porter
by Benjamin Sullivan, 2012
© Benjamin Sullivan
The portrait is an ancillary operate to Sullivan’s grouping portrait of twenty-seven members of staff at All Souls College, Oxford painted every bit utilisation of a residency the creative individual undertook there. Colin Tasker worked every bit Head Porter of the college from 1997 until his retirement final year.
I actually similar the way Benjamin Sullivan tin forcefulness out pigment realism inward a painterly way.  I also charge per unit of measurement artists who hit portraits every bit a utilisation of a series.  The plainness of the background is explained past times the fact that it's utilisation of a serial together with subsidiary to a grouping portrait.

This creative individual is also a favourite of the judges having been selected  for the BP Portrait Prize inward 2002, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 together with 2012.  It tin forcefulness out certainly solely last a affair of fourth dimension earlier he gets shortlisted 1 time again together with perchance wins the plough over prize.

Rupert Alexander - Bob Fahey on Court

Rob Fahey on Court
by Rupert Alexander, 2012
© Rupert Alexander
I've chosen this for ii reasons.  First it's a expert event of a icon which provides a unproblematic context which doesn't fighting amongst the portrait together with yet helps to explicate who this individual is.  As presently every bit I saw it I knew this had to last a pretty of import individual inward the basis of existent tennis.  It turns out that it's the World Champion Rob Fahey - who's won the World Championship 10 times!

So summation points for me are: somebody who merits a portrait portrayed every bit a total figure inside context - which speaks to all those who know the game. Plus it's painted good - there's a terrific feel of command over the light.

The 2d argue is a rattling long fourth dimension agone I used to sit down together with lookout adult man a friend play existent lawn tennis on Sabbatum mornings together with the perspective together with the lite of the background brought it all dorsum to me inward an instant - it connected amongst me!  It seems similar a rattling expert argue to me to pigment people inward context.

Nathalie Beauvillain Scott - Bruised

Entries selected for the exhibition include portraits which tell a even out most the private who is the acre of written report of the portrait.  This is 1 such portrait - together with I wishing in that place were more.
The portrait is of the artist’s teenage son, Olivier, who had latterly been involved inward a machine accident together with was also the acre of written report of a vehement attack. In the background in that place is an paradigm of him every bit a pocket-sized fry together with the machine involved, spell the clock records the fourth dimension of the crash.
Bruised
by Nathalie Beauvillain Scott, 2012
Oil on canvas, 610 x 610 mm
© Nathalie Beauvillain Scott

What I liked most this portrait was that the items inward the background combine to depict you lot inward to effort together with solve the puzzle.  People similar puzzles together with they similar existence asked to utilisation their tidings to operate out what the even out is.

I promise you've enjoyed the paintings I picked out - in that place were a unwrap of others which could select made it into this selectio,

How most you lot - which are YOUR favourite portraits inward the exhibition?

An Index of previous weblog posts most the BP Portrait Award

Here's a repeat of yesterday's listing of past times posts most this fine art contest inward 2012 together with prevous years

BP Portrait Award 2012
Plus my website - which includes other portrait competitions - Portraiture - Resources for Artists

see BP Portrait Award 2012 - 55 Selected Artists

BP Portrait Award 2011
BP Portrait Award 2010
BP Portrait Award 2009
BP Portrait Award 2008
BP Portrait Award 2007
Plus a link to my website most Portraiture - Resources for Artists

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