The 2018 Archibald Prize - Part Three

Further to previous posts, here is the third installment in my visit last year to see the touring Archibald Prize at the marvellous Orange Regional Art Gallery. The Archibald Prize is awarded annually to the best portrait 'preferentially of some man or woman distinguished in art, letters, science or politics, painted by any artist resident in Australia.' Often I don't know the subject, so I really enjoy finding out about the people as much as I appreciate the artwork itself.

Narcissist, the anatomy of melancholy by James Powditch

Well, this is different - of course it looks like a page from a textbook, but also like an advertisement. And then, we know it must be a portrait, so it is intriguing to consider it in this context. It is a self-portrait, and there is an element that all self-portraiture is narcissistic as one must focus so entirely upon the self. Similarly, one of the features of depression is that the subject becomes self-obsessed as they grapple with their feelings. I like the way that something so messy as human nature is distilled here into a diagrammatic representation.

The artist describes this self portrait as being 'honest and raw, about aging and facing up to the reality of who I am as opposed to what I project'. As previously mentioned; self absorbed. He says he remembers the Visible Man as an anatomy kit from his childhood. Behind the figure are references to his youthful fascinations: movie stars, maps of exotic places, pictures from old art books.

"Things behind the portrait of me include flowers - rose (love), daffodil (narcissism), St John's wort (depression) - and chapter headings from The anatomy of melancholy, by Robert Burton, one of the earliest texts that looks at depression clinically and philosophically. There are also things that represent ways of creating order out of chaos: dates, calendars, statistics and astrological books."

Jimmy (title fight) by Jamie Preisz

The subject of this portrait is one of the few that I actually recognise. Jimmy Barnes is big here in Australia - he was the lead singer of the band Cold Chisel and also achieved success as a solo performer. He is often wheeled out for commentary on socio-political issues and his memoirs, Working Class Boy (2016) and Working Class Man (2017) are both best-sellers. 

His gravelly voice and tough background are his trademarks and are frequently parodied. He is held up as an archetypal 'Aussie battler' with a Scottish upbringing and this image of him as a past-before-date-boxer is an inspired move. He still has the swagger and the attitude if not the fitness or agility of former years. The portrait won the Packing Room Prize, which is a $1,500 cash prize awarded to the best entry in the Archibald Prize as judged by the gallery staff who receive, unpack and hang the entries.

"Jimmy has never been afraid to stand up and fight for his career, his family, and even his life.

"His dad, Jim Swan, was a prize-fighter in Glasgow and that formed part of my inspiration to depict him as a boxer. After losing my sister to suicide, I was touched deeply when I saw an interview with Jimmy speaking about his own suicide attempt. To me, he was fighting against the stigma of mental health issues by speaking so publicly about his own struggles, especially to generations of men who don't feel that having emotional intelligence is a masculine quality.

"The red drapery in the background is a reference to Caravaggio's Judith beheading Holofernes, a painting often considered to represent triumph over tyranny. The drapery also suggests backstage - a place Jimmy knows well."

Hall of fame - portrait of Pat Corrigan by Joanna Braithwaite

I love this image - it reminds me of one of those trompe l'oeil pictures, where we see the subject (Pat Corrigan) standing in front of a plethora of images of himself. I also like the idea of the artist reproducing reproductions; a portrait of portraits, if you will. With his hands clasped behind his back Corrigan has a military bearing and, although his slightly hunched posture suggests a number of years, his expression as he looks straight at the viewer implies a wry wisdom and one would have to be a fool to disrespect him. He is a businessman, art collector and philanthropist and, although I didn't know that, I am not surprised to learn it. According to the artist, he is also "a well-known figure in the Australian art world; renowned for his knowledge, generosity and his cheeky, charming persona".

I like the hyper-realistic style of Joanna Braithwaite and first saw her artwork in The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū. Her art often features animals and birds in metaphorical settings and she has been described as a "realist, though of an edgy an sceptical sort. Braithwaite's eloquently phrased paintings occupy that point where the traditions of animal painting and Vanitas painting intersect." While I am not so used to see her portraying a human subject, the bright background and strong outlines are familiar. 

"I wanted to paint Pat because it fascinates me that although he is regularly painted by established artists for the Archibald, he has never been painted by a woman before.

"I decided to paint Pat in front of a selection of the many portraits that have been created of him over the years. The earlisest image is a black-and-white photograph by Max Daupin. The other artists whose works are clearly shown, top left to bottom right, are: Paul Newton, Adam Knott (photograph), Anne Zahalka (photograph), Michael Muir, Peter Smets, Euan Macleod, Alan Jones, Paul Newton,Nicholas Harding and Nigel Thompson. I also included a self-portrait with Pat in my studio, which is over his shoulder. The red wall is a nod to China, where Pat was born and spent some formative years. So here is Pat the collector with a collection of Pat portraits."

Villains always get the best lines by Loribelle Spirovski

There is a striking angularity to this portrait that is deeply appealing. The lines of the subject's limbs both reflect and refract the joins of the walls and the floor on which he sits. He appears to be trapped in a box, from which he is anxious to explode at any minute. It does not surprise me to learn that the subject is an actor, Nicholas Hope, to be precise, whom the attached explanation notes is 'best known for his powerful performance in Rolf de Heer's cult 1993 film Bad Boy Bubby'. 

I have never seen this film, but IMBD describes the plot as a 35-year-old man being trapped in the same small room, tricked by his mother. One day he manages to escape and, deranged and naive in equal measures, his adventure into the modern and nihilistic life begins. It seems appropriate for our current situation, and I might look out the film. The artist says she was deeply affected by his portrayal of the character, and when she met him at a premiere of his recent film, she asked him if he would sit for a portrait. 

"He graciously accepted and invited me into his home. I was immediately struck by the very natural, almost balletic way in which he sat on the rug and proceeded to paint him like that. His intense eyes were what I most wanted to highlight, coupled with the controlled calm of his posture." 

Self-care exhaustion by Amber Boardman

This one is my favourite. Its busy, chaotic technique and wide range of colours sing to me as much as the image itself of a woman sitting in a bath with a wine and a book. Is that a wig beside her? Is she wearing a bathrobe in the bath? Has she got a vegetable-health-boost drink as well as a bottle of wine? How can she read with cucumbers on her eyes? Why is she surrounded by paintings, scented candles and a yoga mat - the poor thing is trying to do too many things at once. 

It is as though she has read all the magazine articles about how one has to be creative and the pressure of making time for yourself has simply become too overwhelming as she struggles to conform to the latest tyranny - we can't just relax in our own way; we have to be told how to do it, and then take the perfect Instagram pic to tell everyone else that we are doing it. 

Initially this seems like a peaceful picture, but the more I look at it; the more anxious it makes me. I wasn't sure if this was how I was 'meant' to feel, and began to worry that I was having the wrong reaction, until I read the explanatory panel in which I learned the subject is the artist's alter ego called Jade, the name her mother had originally wanted to call her. 

"Jade looks aspiringly to online representations of beauty, selfie culture and tends such as 'self-care' and 'me time', but finds that trying to relax has become yet another thing she must add to her daily to-do-list.

"Jade attempts these self-care tactics simultaneously , surrounding herself in the bath with a glass of wine, a blender full of green smoothie, self-help books, candles, a facial mask, a yoga mat, ad her newfound hobby, painting.

"On the surface, this painting - which is partly inspired by internet memes on the topic of self-care - is funny because she looks ridiculous and is trying too hard. On a deeper level, it questions consumption, wellness culture and the frantic pace of life.

"I'm interested in the capacity for internet memes, jokes and humour to be little anthropological essays that reveal what is important in our culture at this moment. My work aims to highlight the absurdities of everyday life."

Charlotte by David Darcy

This is almost the antithesis of the previous painting. While there are primary colours in the subject's clothing, the background is sketchy and unimportant. The posture of half sitting on the stool appears awkward and uncomfortable, and there is similarly a total lack of warmth in the expression. This woman looks as though she has fought hard to be where she is and she isn't going to compromise or take any nonsense from anyone. On the basis of this portrait, I would find it impossible to relax in her presence and I would be terrified to laugh because she doesn't look as though humour is a factor in her life. 

Apparently the subject is Charlotte Drake-Brockman, whom the artist describes as 'a charismatic 84-year-old artist who resides in the small rural township of Murrurundi, New South Wales. Locally Charlotte has a reputation as a firebrand who isn't afraid to speak her mind. But the tough persona belies a generous woman.' If this is indeed the case, I feel he has gone too hard on the tough, and not left enough room for the generosity of spirit. 

"When I moved to Murrurundi 18 months ago, Charlotte was the first local to invite me over for a beer. Her zest for life, defiant attitude towards authority, generous spirit and the fact that she still mows her own lawn inspired me. Being the new artist in town, I felt painting a portrait of this local character would help me connect to my new community.

"Charlotte recently lost her partner of 42 years and it's evident from our conversations he is greatly missed. But life goes on. I wanted the painting to portray a woman who is strong, unconventional, comfortable in her aged skin, flamboyant and still formidable. A woman who has lived a full life and commands her own space."