Works on show in the BP Portrait Award 2012. Select the OPEN links to read more about a work, and select the image to enlarge it.
2012
Antonios Titakis is a graduate of the Athens School of Fine Arts. His work has been seen on display in the Athens War Museum and in the 2009 Athens Biennale.
This portrait is of the artist’s friend Dimitra and is part of a larger body of work. The artist felt a particular connection with the sitter as she had recently experienced the death of her father, as he had. Titakis says of the method used: ‘I used black and white acrylics, focusing on the delicate balance of tones. Broadening the spectrum without adding a third colour has been a challenge.’
2012
James Stewart studied wildlife illustration at Dyfed College of Art, Carmarthen. After a career as a designer and illustrator, Stewart turned to painting and fine art. His work has been seen in group exhibitions in the UK and USA and was included in the BP Portrait Award 2004.
The portrait is of successful amateur jockey Sam Waley-Cohen, who was introduced to the artist by a mutual friend. Stewart says: ’It had long been a desire to paint a jockey and horse. I wanted to strip the sentiment and narrative out of the work leaving just the rider and horse in their purest form.’
2012
Toby Mulligan is a largely self-taught artist who began painting commissioned portraits at the age of fifteen. His work has been seen in exhibitions in London, Amsterdam, New Delhi, and Mexico City and is held in private collections in Europe, India and the USA.
The portrait is of the artist’s daughter, Anais, who lives in France with her mother. The portrait was made in the morning on the last day of her recent visit to her father in the UK. Despite having attempted the subject previously in oils, this small acrylic painting seemed more successful to Mulligan.
2012
Aleah Chapin has just completed an MFA in painting at the New York Academy of Art and studied at the Cornish College of the Arts in her native Seattle. Her work has been seen in solo and in group exhibitions both in the United States and Europe.
The portrait is of a close friend of Chapin’s family and is part of a series of nude portraits of women she has known all of her life. Chapin says: ‘Her body is a map of her journey through life. The process of painting allowed me a glimpse of this journey and brought me into the present moment of our shared history.’
2012
Mary Jane Ansell undertook a BA in illustration at Brighton University and further studies in printmaking and life drawing. Her work has been seen in several solo exhibitions in London and group shows throughout the UK. She was previously selected for the BP Portrait Award in 2004, 2009 and 2010.
The portrait is of the artist’s father and was painted at their family home. This is the second painting Ansell has made of her father. She describes him as: ‘A very vital and intelligent man with an unfailing thirst for knowledge who continues to inspire me.’
2012
Jean-Paul Tibbles studied at Eastbourne College of Art. His work has previously been seen in the Portrait Award at the National Portrait Gallery in 1988 and 1989. He has exhibited in the annual exhibitions of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters (2001–12) and the Portrait Society of America International Competition (2002–7) winning the Grand Prize in 2008.
This self-portrait is the first that Tibbles has made in over ten years. He says: ‘The main aim was to be as concise as possible in the composition and to make use of cropping to achieve this.’
2012
David Eichenberg studied sculpture and painting at the University of Toledo, Ohio. His work has been seen in group and solo exhibitions in the United States and in the BP Portrait Award 2011 and 2010 when he won third prize.
The portrait is of the artist’s friend Devan. She frequently attends anime conventions that celebrate the comic arts and animations of Japan. The French maid’s outfit she wears in the portrait is part of one of the personas she adopts at these events.
2012
London-based artist Alan Coulson completed foundation studies in art and design at Harrogate College of Art and Design but is otherwise self-taught. His work was previously exhibited in the BP Portrait Award 2010 and 2011 as well at the Royal Society of Portrait Painters exhibition in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
The portrait is of Richie Culver, a fellow artist and friend. Coulson visited Culver at his home and produced preparatory sketches before completing the painting in his studio. He says: ‘My aim was to produce a direct and honest painting that would capture Richie’s unique appearance alongside his easygoing nature’.
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2012
Gianluca Capaldo undertook both undergraduate and postgraduate diplomas in painting at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Bologna and has tutored at the institution. His work has been seen in a solo exhibition and in group exhibitions in Italy.
The portrait is of the artist’s fiancée, Marialuce. It was painted from life over a series of sittings that took place in the mornings to get the correct light effect. Capaldo says he was: ‘Inspired by the works of the great exponents of nineteenth-century portraiture such as Ingrès, Mussini and Sargent’.
2012
Tim Benson studied fine art at Glasgow School of Art and Byam Shaw School of Art. His work has been seen in solo exhibitions in London and in group exhibitions and art fairs around the UK. He is an elected member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters.
This portrait is of the artist’s grandmother, Margaret, towards the end of her life. He says: ‘She was suffering from dementia, but I wanted to show her in an ambiguous light. She could just as easily be in a conversation as in a state of anxiety.’
2012
Claire Kerr studied modern history at Magdalen College, Oxford and fine art at Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology. Her work has been seen in group exhibitions in London and Dublin; awards include the Culture Ireland Government Award (2007 and 2010) and being shortlisted for the Jerwood Drawing Prize (2005).
This self-portrait is inspired by Titian’s Portrait of an Englishman (1540–5) in the collection of the Pitti Palace, Florence. Kerr says: ‘The idea of a self-portrait that would work against self-definition appealed to me, given that self-definition is such an inescapable part of contemporary life and yet is enormously over-simplified.’
2012
Vanessa Lubach undertook a BA (Hons) in graphic design and illustration at Brighton Polytechnic. Her work has been seen in group exhibitions in Norwich.
The portrait is of the artist’s daughter, Rosie, holding the family’s bantam, Pumpkin. As the bird would not sit still long enough to pose, the initial sketches and longer sittings were made with Rosie holding a toy helmet. Rapid sketches and photographs of Pumpkin helped complete the portrait. Lubach says her aim was ‘to convey the moment of quiet astonishment that followed the battle of wits necessary to catch the agile and evasive bantam.’
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