BP Portrait Award 2015

[Mike McCarty]

Warning! The following could be considered snarky.

BP Portrait Award 2015

It was recently reported in the London Times-Picayune that, once again, Mike McCarty did not win the prestigious BP Portrait Award for 2015 – and would he please stop entering!

This year’s contest brought a record 2,748 entries from which were chosen a first, second, and third place. Fifty entries were selected and summoned to London based on their digital entry. From the fifty the three places were chosen. The remaining 47 were also retained for exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London as well as other venues. No small matter being one of the 47.

I offer here two of the 47 winners – not for ridicule, but for admiration. These two artists entered this prestigious PORTRAIT competition with paintings that show no part of a face. No profile, no mirror image or reflection in a pond, no ear sticking out from loosely rendered hair. One does show a hand. While for me and my limited and confused understanding they don’t meet the implied minimum content, these artists, through their courage and vision – won!

I would be shocked, shocked, if I were ever chosen as one of the 47. My reason for entering, then, was developed from observing the winners of the past. I thought that if the judges are going to make a mistake, maybe the mistake they make could be with my painting.

The question then becomes: Is no eye better than a bad eye? Would the eye that these subjects allegedly have, been painted better than my painted eye, had their eye actually been painted, based on the quality of their painted backside? The answer comes back: yes, and yes.

Next year I’m going to enter this portrait competition again in spite of the newspapers admonition. I’m going to enter with the beautiful floral painting below. Oh, it’s not mine, I stole it from Chris Saper’s web site (Chris, we’ll split the 30m pounds). I think the fact that it was stolen will give it that edgy, non-conformist element that’s been lacking in my work. I’m going to call my work: “Imagined self-portrait in profile, standing just left (or was it right?) of frame, with stolen roses.”

Also, on the cover of their booklet that presents all these fine paintings they show one of the 47 and not the winner. This is puzzlement to me. If they liked this painting so much why didn’t it win first prize?

I think it was a bit harsh for them to single me out in the newspaper like that, but, you know, my once beautiful Caucasian pale, occasionally pinkish hued skin, has thickened into a crusty, blotchy, sca … oh, never mind that. You cowboy up, then you soldier on.

Clearly, there are holes in my understanding of so many things. Maybe one of the many learned members of this forum can help fill my holes of knowing.

All fifty can be seen here:

[John Crowther]

Snarky, yes, but brilliant. And very funny. I can only think that the organizers, being British and therefore keepers of the language, have embarked on a mission to substitute the word portrait for painting, as in the new name for Manet's painting, now to be called "Potrait of Haystacks."

[Mike McCarty]

Hello John,

I thought my snarky post might spark some lively discussion. I hoped someone would disagree, or better yet call me a thieving misogynistic bastard.

There was once daily snarkiness, and even verbal abuse. Now - crickets. I can't get a rise no matter how snarky I get.

I blame Barrack Obama.

[John Crowther]

Mike,

I didn't see evidence of misogyny (theivery perhaps, though forgivable given the context), but I tend to go easier on Obama these days, thanks to the out and out snarkfest that is the presidential campaign thus far. But to stay more or less on topic, I'd guess that few members of this forum (those left following posts) would argue that in general terms the judging of art competitions is all too frequently inexplicable. I'm reminded of the perhaps apocryphal story about the design competition years ago for the Sydney Opera House. Among the four judges was Eero Saarinen, who couldn't find time until the last minute to travel to Australia and look over the hundreds of entries. Flipping quickly through the stack of renderings, he stopped at what would be the winner and declared, "this is the one." The other three judges didn't find it in themselves to question the choice. Few of us would criticize the ultimate result, but it turned out that as originally designed the building lacked dressing rooms and other amenities necessary for theatrical productions, and from an engineering standpoint would not have stood up.

Perhaps it should have been called a portrait contest for the Sydney Opera House.

[Mike McCarty]

Next time I'll try religion.

I too would not miss Facebook's passing but I'm afraid its here to stay.

PS: I've been in that Sydney opera house.

[Ngaire Winwood]

Hi Mike

As always I have enjoyed your analyses of things.

In this one you have outdone yourself with the portrait of the flowers, I think you will win it for sure. Call it something like 'Me and my new flowers'

Ngaire

[Mike McCarty]

G'day Ngaire,

I was close to your Toowoomba once. I spent a couple of days in Brisbane then on to Sydney.

I would bet that out of those 2748 entries there were many stunning portraits to choose from.

"A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person."

Garth's fantastic self portrait would surely have won. My neighbor kid that needed a ride to school would still fall into the above 'portrait' definition, as would Morgan Weistling's reflection portrait. But 'Rachel's belly with curious lizard'? I don't think so. Of course the lizard would protest, but he went on to fame in one of Tarantino's movies.

[Ngaire Winwood]

Hi Mike

I think that neighbour kid has what it takes to make it...at least, he's determined.

Another great reply.

Yes, Garth's and Morgan's portraits are...portraits!

It's a shame you didn't get to see our fine city in the spring, as the Carnival of Flowers is really special. Maybe one day you might come back this way, or not.

Ngaire

[Cynthia Daniel]

I have noticed that British portraits often have a very different flavor from American ones'

[Cynthia Daniel]

You can be as snarky as you want. You've earned snarky privileges.