Review: BP Portrait Award, National Portrait Gallery ★★★★★
Age before beauty: 2015 BP Portrait Award Exhibition fizzes with subtle photorealism and dynamic painting
Portrait of Esta Sexton Aged 12, Paul P. Smith artist, courtesy of National Portrait Gallery London
The jewel in the National Portrait Gallery crown is the joyful annual BP Portrait competition which singles out the finest portrait artists, from burgeoning talents fresh from art school to established art world heavyweights. Not only is it a curatorial Everest to climb, as the judging panel wade through thousands of entries, the show is also bursting with fascinating stories. Who is that girl in the painting? What secrets are lurking behind her eyes?
But this year it feels like a dark cloud has fallen over the NPG because not even The BoomTown Rats' frontman Bob Geldof can crack a smile.
Annabelle and Guy by Matan Ben Cnaan, copyright of the artist
This year's top prize was snagged by Israeli artist Matan Ben-Cnaan and his allegorical portrait inspired by the Biblical story of Jephthah. His friend and step-daughter play the roles of an Israelite judge who vows to sacrifice the first thing that greets him on his return from battle in exchange for his life, only to find his daughter rushing to welcome him home. It's an arresting image in the bright sunlight of the Jezreel Valley which manages to update this ancient story into the modern context of tumultuous Israel.
Always the bridesmaid never the bride: Michael Gaskell is runner up for a shocking third time this year for his sensitive portrayal of his 14 year old niece Eliza. The influences of Flemish portraiture and rich Renaissance oil painting make this work feel as if it could be hundreds of years old. We have our fingers firmly crossed for Gaskell next year...
My Mother and My Brother on a Sunday Evening by Borja Buces Renard, copyright of the artist
Third prize winner and perhaps the most engaging of the three is Borja Buces Renard who captures his mother and brother lounging on the sofa on a Sunday evening. This intimate family moment is all the more potent as Renard's father died a few weeks after the painting was finished. We love this work for it's rich texture, enigmatic drips and powerful gazes.
Want to know more about the BP Portrait Award?
Other Award winners
For the other big winners at the NPG Portrait Award, look out for Travel Award Winner 2014 Edward Sutcliffe. While the paintings themselves are pretty forgettable, pay attention to the interesting story of the Compton Cricket Club in Los Angeles which helps young people escape an area polluted with poverty and crime. A far more visually arresting sight is BP Young Artist Award winner Eleana Antonaki and her austere portrait of sculptor Julie Laenkhom. The jarring simplicity of the painting alongside some of the more heady, painterly creations nearby make for an exciting juxtaposition.
The delightful Portrait Award show doesn't pop with its usual vivacious spirit, but it is still a masterclass in portrait painting filled with the stories of everyday people that will fascinate and awe.
But this year it feels like a dark cloud has fallen over the NPG because not even The BoomTown Rats' frontman Bob Geldof can crack a smile.
Annabelle and Guy by Matan Ben Cnaan, copyright of the artist
This year's top prize was snagged by Israeli artist Matan Ben-Cnaan and his allegorical portrait inspired by the Biblical story of Jephthah. His friend and step-daughter play the roles of an Israelite judge who vows to sacrifice the first thing that greets him on his return from battle in exchange for his life, only to find his daughter rushing to welcome him home. It's an arresting image in the bright sunlight of the Jezreel Valley which manages to update this ancient story into the modern context of tumultuous Israel.
Eliza by Michael Gaskell,copyright of the artist
Always the bridesmaid never the bride: Michael Gaskell is runner up for a shocking third time this year for his sensitive portrayal of his 14 year old niece Eliza. The influences of Flemish portraiture and rich Renaissance oil painting make this work feel as if it could be hundreds of years old. We have our fingers firmly crossed for Gaskell next year...
My Mother and My Brother on a Sunday Evening by Borja Buces Renard, copyright of the artist
Third prize winner and perhaps the most engaging of the three is Borja Buces Renard who captures his mother and brother lounging on the sofa on a Sunday evening. This intimate family moment is all the more potent as Renard's father died a few weeks after the painting was finished. We love this work for it's rich texture, enigmatic drips and powerful gazes.
Want to know more about the BP Portrait Award?
Sauvageonne by Magali Cazo, copyright of the artist
Portrait of Esta Sexton Aged 12 by Paul P. Smith, copyright of the artist
The Convalescent by Helen O'Sullivan-Tyrrell, copyright of the artist
Other Award winners
For the other big winners at the NPG Portrait Award, look out for Travel Award Winner 2014 Edward Sutcliffe. While the paintings themselves are pretty forgettable, pay attention to the interesting story of the Compton Cricket Club in Los Angeles which helps young people escape an area polluted with poverty and crime. A far more visually arresting sight is BP Young Artist Award winner Eleana Antonaki and her austere portrait of sculptor Julie Laenkhom. The jarring simplicity of the painting alongside some of the more heady, painterly creations nearby make for an exciting juxtaposition.
The delightful Portrait Award show doesn't pop with its usual vivacious spirit, but it is still a masterclass in portrait painting filled with the stories of everyday people that will fascinate and awe.
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