THE 2022 ARCHIBALD PRIZE FAILS TO DELIVER
In my view, this year’s winner of the Archibald Portrait Prize, Moby Dickens by Blak Douglas, is very disappointing. It appears to me to be computer generated and I feel it’s a slap in the face to the many talented portrait artists who entered what is meant to be one of our most respected art competitions.
Right from its inception in 1929, the Archibald Prize has created controversy and divided opinions. There have even been legal challenges and no doubt that creates interest. This year was no different, but most of the interest wasn’t positive. And that hurts everyone.
In reality it is to be expected that the winning portrait will be controversial. After all, Jules Francois Archibald (whose real name was John Feltham Archibald) was unconventional and enjoyed “shaking a fist at authority”. He was quite a character.
One thing is for sure: everyone’s talking about it, but not necessarily for the right reasons and many of our finest artists might think twice about entering next year.
And that would be sad.
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Names are important, whether you are talking about people, animals...or paintings.
We are given names at birth and people often feel they don’t suit them and some change them, whilst the late singer (formerly known as) Prince, eventually chose no name at all. That would make life difficult I think, but I know what he was saying: that name is not who I am. He believed having no name knocked down arbitrary barriers and made him even more creative. There’s a lot of research that says our names have an influence on who we end up being, so I think about it a lot with my art.
But, unlike us, paintings are given a name when they are completed or when the work is in progress to try to describe what it is and what it represents.
For my work, the name of a painting arrives at completion. It can be fairly obvious, as with Tangerine Rose. I thought the word ‘orange’ a bit harsh for such a delicate flower so I searched for other colour names that were more interesting and I always liked the sound of Tangerine.
Others are more difficult. My new painting "Queen Of The Night" is quite dark and, once finished, reminded me of the first black tulip to be bred. That occurred in Holland in 1986 and was actually the result of crossing two deep purple tulips - not black. It had dark purples like my painting so I borrowed the name.
Even the incredible history of the tulip played a role. They have often been thought to symbolise strength and power, whilst their mystery and elegance gave them a certain sense of royalty. They are also one of the first flowers to bloom in spring so there is an element of the beauty and miracle of re-birth.
In “Queen Of The Night” I’ve tried to reflect all of that and to create, as well, some idea of the tulip’s wonderful history. It’s amazing to think that a flower first cultivated in Persia in the 9th Century then became the symbol of the Ottomans in the 10th Century before being imported to Holland in the early 17th century where its rare quality and popularity led to “Tulip Mania” which in turn led to the market crash of 1637. Wow...and here I was thinking it was just another flower!
I hope my “Queen Of The Night” likes its name and finds a home where it will be loved a much as I enjoyed painting it.
(The artist still known as) Meron x