Final brushstrokes: The return of the people’s portrait prize
The finalists in this year’s Brisbane Portrait Prize have been chosen and it’s a colourful field of known and lesser-known artists with connections to BrisVegas.
The beauty about Brisbane Portrait Prize’s shortlist is that it is long. There are 77 finalists this year, which means 77 very happy artists and a bunch of others not so pleased that they haven’t made the cut.
In fact, there were more than 650 entries in this year’s prize, which just goes to show how popular it is. Winners are grinners but another 50 artists get an opportunity to shine in the Salon des Refusés exhibition that will be held at the Royal Queensland Art Society Petrie Terrace Gallery, from October 10 until November 2.
The Salon des Refusés is a partnership between Brisbane Portrait Prize and the Royal Queensland Art Society, and features works selected by salon judges. It provides excellent exposure for artists who had entered the prize but were not selected as finalists.
As for the main event, artists are competing across nine categories, with a total of $92,500 in prize money to be won, including the coveted $50,000 Lord Mayor’s Prize.
Brisbane Portrait Prize chair Anna Reynolds expressed her delight at the diverse range of works and the local theme that emerged in this year’s competition.
‘The artists give us a snapshot of the times in which we live and invite us to share their perspectives and stories’
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“Yet again we have an outstanding mix of styles, creative approaches and experience levels among the artists, which continues to amaze and inspire us,” Reynolds says. “We have artworks that celebrate the lives of local celebrities, family and friends. The artists give us a snapshot of the times in which we live and invite us to share their perspectives and stories. Different creative approaches both celebrate and challenge; some express joy and optimism, while others tell personal stories of some of the challenges of our shared humanity.”
You can see all the finalists on the website now ahead of the finalists exhibition. As usual, it features an array of subjects, some better known including artist Lindy Lee, actor Miranda Otto and Archibald-prize winner Julie Fragar, plus a whole bunch of people we don’t know so well.
At first glance I was taken by a lovely colourful portrait of talented Brisbane artist Martin Edge by Bronwyn Doherty. Edge is a celebrated painter and proud ambassador for Autism Queensland. He has been a finalist in many major art prizes and his work is represented in state and national collections. A former art teacher, Doherty has known Edge since he was one of her students at high school. Nice.
Each work has an interesting story behind it and discovering those stories is half the fun. Kev Carmody (recovering from serious illness) by veteran artist Pat Hoffie is a cracker and I loved Peter Hudson’s portrait of poet Nathan Shepherdson, whose dad was the acclaimed artist, Gordon Shepherdson.
There are self-portraits, too, and these are revealing. One of the best is Scott Breton’s Two Mirrors’ Worth of Self Doubt, which is a nod to Rembrandt. It’s a very classy painting. Keith Burt’s self-portrait is another ripper.
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Charmian Lyons’ dancing with the infinite features Brisbane-born and bred artist Lindy Lee. It captures Lee in a moment of stillness.
Col Mac’s portrait of Miranda Otto is great and let’s not forget Otto was born in Brisbane. Monica Rohan is always a favourite and her wonderfully colourful Alice in Wonderland kind-of portrait of artist Rachel Burke is gorgeous. It’s titled Rachel Burke makes Things. Yes, she does, very colourful things, and this portrait salutes the vibrant work of this multidisciplinary artist, designer and author.
But wait, there’s more. So much more. You’re going to love this year’s finalists exhibition and while you can look at them online now, nothing beats seeing them in the flesh, so to speak.
According to the folks at the prize, this year’s submissions revealed three emerging themes – exploration of a sense of place, the extraordinary in the ordinary and identity and introspection.
Finalist judges Christine Clark and Francoise Lane commended the unwavering individuality across all submissions to the prize.
“The individuality of approaches to portraiture in the works submitted was outstanding – it is quite beautiful to see through such varying lenses what artists appreciate,” says Lane.
Meanwhile state librarian and State Library of Queensland CEO Vicki McDonald is looking forward to welcoming this year’s finalists exhibition.
“State Library is excited to partner with the Brisbane Portrait Prize for a second year, celebrating artists and bringing together communities to celebrate the power of creative expression,” says McDonald.
The exhibition will open to the public at State Library of Queensland on September 20, following the winners announcement by the director of the Art Gallery of South Australia and Brisbane Portrait Prize chief judge Jason Smith, on September 19.