Smithsonian NPG

Jimmie Arroyo · 06-07-2005, 05:14 PM

Just noticed this today;

The Smithsonian is having a portrait competition and is accepting online submissions between June 1- September 6. The top prize is $25,000. Nice! Anyone interested can follow this link.

Good luck to anyone entering.

Michele Rushworth · 06-07-2005, 11:05 PM

I've been reading about that competition on their site and I emailed them a question today.

It doesn't seem clear whether we can enter paintings that were done as commissions. It specifies that the portrait should be of "a friend, relative, or a self portrait." My clients often become my friends so I suppose that would cover that issue.

Later in the rules they refer to the fact that "ownership" needs to be verified. I asked them if that means I need to be the "owner" of the painting, in which case, none of my commissioned work would qualify, nor would the work of any gallery artist when the work in question was already sold.

Terri Ficenec · 06-13-2005, 03:29 PM

Hi Michele--
Just wondering if they ever responded to the question of ownership?

Michele Rushworth · 06-13-2005, 04:35 PM

Yes they did. It's the same as with every other competition. You just have to have permission to borrow the painting from its current owner. If chosen, the painting will be in D.C. for more than a year, so you have to take that into consideration.

Sharon Knettell · 06-13-2005, 05:26 PM

Michele,

What DO they mean by direct contact? Paintings only from life or from your own photos?

Michele Rushworth · 06-13-2005, 05:44 PM

They were very quick at answering my emailed question so you might want to ask them.

My interpretation of that rule is that they don't want anyone doing a portrait of, say, George Bush, if they never met him. It doesn't have to be a commission, it just has to be something the artist didn't do from someone else's photos. At least that's what I think they mean.

Sharon Knettell · 06-13-2005, 05:50 PM

Thanks Michele,

I just emailed them about it. Most of the Time magazine covers for instance are from news photographers photos that are given to the artist.
The artist in that case has no contact with the subject.

Sharon Knettell · 06-14-2005, 11:46 AM

Michele,

You are right about quick replies from the Smithsonian.

Direct contact means you can paint from photos as long as you have had direct contact with the subject. It cannot be a hired model for simply a figurative that does not end up being a portrait of the subject.

In other words, it has to be a portrait resembling the subject, painted from your own reference. It can be commissioned or not.

Kimberly Dow · 06-14-2005, 03:43 PM

Sharon,

So - if it is clearly a figurative it can't be entered? In other words - it has to look like a portrait even if it was a hired model? But, it can be a hired model?

Sharon Knettell · 06-14-2005, 04:06 PM

Kim,

As far as I know it CAN be a hired model, but the painting has to be clearly a portrait. In other words, the painting should not be a figurative with the emphasis on the pictorial aspects mainly.

Sargent did a fanciful painting of one of the Wertheimer daughters in a harem costume, but it is clearly mainly a portrait of her.
His figurative boating scenes are another story, even though the figures are recognizable people, it is still a scene with people in it, and therefore would NOT be eligible.His painting of the writer Henry Louis Stevenson, thoough odd is still a portrait, that effectively and tellingly emphasizes his frail physique.

Many portrait artists, myself included, hire models to start their portfolios and also because the model appeals to them.