Archibald Prize Art Gallery - Essay Example

Archibald Prize Art Gallery Australia has an evident record that it treasures its art heritage because of the established national gallery. The Archibald art gallery has existed for some time in Australia and has qualified to become one of the influential events in the art history. During this event, Australian artists can showcase their artistic works, to the high numbers of visitors. The event serves to highlight different aspects of Australia contemporary art. The artistic elements, principles and themes used by the winning artists reveal a lot about Australian contemporary art culture. This paper will focus on highlighting the significance of the Archibald prize and describe the aspects of Australian art culture depicted in the Archibald gallery.Throughout this paper, it will become evident that the winner highlighted both the aspects of contemporary Australian art and insight on the subject represented in the winning portrait. Historical Background of the Archibald Art Gallery Archibald was one of the Australian journalists who found pleasure in art. He exhibited immense interest in journalism, initiating the publication of an influential bulletin. Although the bulletin tackled diverse topics, he reserved space for upcoming artists to use it as an avenue for displaying their inherent talent. Due to his undying interest for young artists, he received the privilege of becoming a trustee of the New South Wales art gallery. As he served in this position, his interest for art became more apparent, a factor that motivated him to designate a certain amount in his will that would afford an annual prize for an artist exhibiting exemplary talent. He intended the prize to motivate artists to use art as an avenue of presenting honor to any Australian exhibiting exemplary contribution to the society either through art, science or politics1. Archibald requested for the portrait of poet Henry Lawson, a piece of art that he approved and paid for, marking the beginning of an annual routine that would honor great men and women using art. The portrait was the work of a renowned artist John Longstaff from Melbourne.The first Archibald award was presented to the first winner in 1921. The award of the prize has progressed since then. The prize has also served as a motivation for upcoming artists. After his death, the trustees of the gallery sought to grant him the honor and publicity that he had so often turned down during his life. Through his demonstrated interest in art, he made sure that the great men and women who existed before to receive honor in form of portraits. A portrait made in his honor and the regard of the gallery with his name after death served as evidence of the art culture that he had begun and has progressed until now2. His portrait was a commission from the board of trustees in honor of hi support towards art. The Archibald Prize The New South Wales art gallery has had trustees who have demonstrated ardent interest in fostering the art culture of the Archibald Prize began by Archibald in 1921. The trustees have adhered to a culture of awarding the prize annually to any artist who represents an influential person, with a reputation of contributing positively to the Australian society. Since the award seeks to honor Australian men and women who exhibit an exemplary contribution to the society through different fields, the competition only includes works from Australian artists3. The competition remains an open affair for any interested artists who exhibit interest in doing portraits of the reputable people in society. The board of trustees of the New South Wales art gallery takes up the responsibility of judging the presented art pieces from artists all over Australia. In the recent years, there are several prize won contrary to the earlier years when only the Archibald prize was up for grabbing for the many artists. Usually, the board of trustees would judge the portraits presented by different artist who make portraits of celebrated men and women. In the earlier years, the art gallery displayed almost all the art pieces presented for the competition. However, the recent years have seen the board of trustees only displays the art pieces of selected finalists from the competition. Many renowned Australian artists have entered the competition with portraits made with the intention of celebrating exemplary individuals in society. A winner from the finalists receives the esteemed award that not only promotes portraiture, but also celebrates individuals making remarkable contribution in different fields. As has been the culture of the competition, it is non-acquisitive, therefore dissuading artists from a self-seeking attitude. However, the gallery owns most of the art pieces and portraits that have featured in different editions of the competition. The Hugo Weaving Portrait 2013 Winner The above portrait received the Archibald award in 2013 for celebrating the contribution of Hugo Weaving to the film industry. The portrait represented one of the esteemed actors whose creativity has placed exemplary impact in the movie industry4. Hugo qualifies as one of the highly adored appearing in different movies and with multiple fans among the Australian people. His record of featuring in movies and his ability to pull out different roles makes him deserving of the recognition in the competition. Hugo exhibits expertise in all art aspects with evidence of him being an exemplary artist both on the screen and on stage performances. He has featured in different films such as the ‘oranges and sunshine’ as well as in several television series such as bodyline5. Moreover, he has been successful in theatrical works such as ‘Uncle Vanya’. Del Kathryn Barton worked on the portrait, after her conviction that Hugo deserved celebration for being an outstanding actor. The artist highlights that her initial concept was to represent Hugo in a simple suit. However, she sought to interview him prior to commencing her work on his portrait. From the interview, she solicited information from him, compelling her to include more details to her final concept as illustrated in the exhibited portrait. The details evident from the portrait are symbolic of his creativity and personality as exhibited by the roles that he plays in any dramatic works. Del Kathryn Barton sought to foster the spirit of celebrating people in society that Archibald had initiated6. Insights of the Subject Revealed by the Winner The subject of the portrait is the renowned actor Hugo weaving of both British and Australian origin. The fact that Darton sought to highlight Hugo in her portrait for the competition led to a level of attention from the Australian people to the renowned actor.the fact that he has featured in several movies and theatrical works serves to confirm that he can earn attention from the people7. The purpose of the competition is to celebrate people who exhibit exemplary talent or contribution in different fields. Hugo is one of the people whose appearance in the movie industry has earned him multiple fans from the Australian society. Darton sought to recognize, appreciate and celebrate his outstanding creativity that has become evident from all his works. From the portrait, the audience can comprehend the symbolism employed by the artist when representing the outstanding creativity and talent of Hugo. The audience can recall different aspects about his appearances that have defined him as an incredible actor in the Australian film industry. The portrait above exhibits a great deal of similarity to the real image of Hugo, and serves to remind the audience of the roles that he has played in the film industry. The portrait’s ability to remind the audience of the remarkable roles played by the subject on the portrait serves as a confirmation that the Archibald winner highlights some attributes of the subject. The fact that an artist will only consider to represent a person who stands out with exemplary qualities in the field of expertise is an additional reason why any winner of the Archibald prize served to highlight intriguing aspects about the subject8. An artist had to identify a compelling attribute of the intended subject that would provide the motivation to work on the painting. The fact that an artist exhibits a high level of interest and passion in the subject chosen, also confirms that the Archibald Prize winner revealed certain aspects about the subject. The artist had to demonstrate that the subject was worth the celebration and recognition for an outstanding contribution in a certain field9. He judging process is the responsibility of a panel that consists of both the artist and other trustees from diverse field. This translates to the fact that the subject of the painting is a more critical aspect, especially to the non-artists in the panel. Moreover, one of the entry requirements is a signed agreement that the subject posed for the portrait. This emphasizes on the role of the subject in the portraiture. Moreover, the judging process must reflect the opinion of the public, and this depends on the attributes of the represented subject. The public may not comprehend the artistic principles used in the paintings over time, but it is evident that they are familiar with the subjects in the portraits. Aspects of Australian Contemporary Art in the Archibald Winner Since 1921, different artists have made entries into the competition with the intention of showcasing their artistic competencies. Since the first Archibald prize, there have been apparent artistic developments in the art culture. Without doubt, these developments often become evident in the works presented annually. The judges who exhibit understanding of the use of different art principles are able to identify the changes that have emerged in the Australian art culture. These changes define the contemporary artistic principles, styles and elements used in art today. Apparently, the media preference in painting has changed over the years, a factor that becomes evident in the current entries. Painting styles employed in portraiture have also been changing over time, a factor that is evident from the brush styles used by the winner of the Archibald prize10. For example, the painting of Hugo Weaving described above highlights the diverse use of artistic elements such as color, brush lines and texture in emphasizing artistic principles such as contrast, and realism. The judging process factors in different categories of art that are inherent in the Australian society. The principles that are exhibited by each of these categories may differ, but are critical in helping the judges decide on the winner. Although the process may not lay unwarranted emphasis on the artistic principles demonstrated by the artist, there is a winner gets the opportunity of popularizing his style from to the diverse audience that attends the art gallery. Most of the artists seeking new entries into the galleries exhibit artistic principles that define the modern Australian culture. Therefore, the winner of the Archibald prize plays a critical role in depicting the contemporary art principles and elements11. As described above, the Archibald prize is one of the significant events both to the art world and in the public domain. The prize was the idea of the journalist Archibald who exhibited a lot of interest in art. In his efforts to support artists, and foster the celebration of people of exemplary contribution to the society, he allocated some funds for the Archibald prize. Since 1921, artists have been competing and winning the symbolic prize. Evidently, the subject of the paintings is critical, and motivates the audience to understand different attributes of the depicted individual. Moreover, the prize has proved to be a platform of depicting Australian contemporary art principles. Bibliography Beelaerts, Charles, and Kevin Forde.Investing in Collectables An Investor's Guide to Turning Your Passion into a Portfolio. Milton, Qld: Wrightbooks, 2011. . Brilliant, Richard. Portraiture. London: Reaktion books, 2003. Egginton, Jane. Australia. London: Cadogan Guides, 2005. Lloyd, R. Ian, John McDonald, YolantaWoldendorp, and Wendy Moore.Studio: Australian Painters on the Nature of Creativity. Singapore: R. Ian Lloyd Productions, 2007. Payes, Sonia. Untitled: Portraits of Australian Artists. South Yarra, Vic: Macmillan Art Pub, 2007. Rawlings-Way, Charles. Sydney. Footscray, Vic: Lonely Planet, 2009. . Ross, Peter. Let's Face It: The History of the Archibald Prize. Sydney: Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2013. Sayers, Andrew. Australian Art. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001. State Library of Victoria.The Art of the Collection: State Library of Victoria Picture Collection. Melbourne: Miegunyah Press, 2007. Zuckerman, Nicola Lise. Bringing Art to the Public: The Archibald Prize and Modern Art. Thesis (B.A.(Hons.)) -- University of Adelaide, School of History and Politics, Discipline of History, 2004, 2004. Read More