Well, even though we are in Thailand Amy and I picked this year’s Archibald Prize winner simply off the internet.
Looking at all the finalists Guy Maestri’s portrait of Geoffrey Gurrumul Yunupingu stuck out prominently. The haunting and shadowy contours of Yunupingu’s face stood out. His eyes appear almost absent. Its a very memorable piece. Amy and I both looked at eachother and agreed immediately it was the best entrant.
The likeness of the portrait to Yunupingu’s latest album cover is a little disconcerting though. I’ll let you be the judge.
Painting of a minority members wins Archibald – hold the front page!
Still I think it was definitely the best in the whole competition. The rest of year’s entries belong in the Ikea decor section.
There wasn’t that many other striking images to choose from. This one really stood out as I went through them all. I found this portrait even more striking because he is blind (notice the absence of his eyes).
The painting tells me something about who the subject is. It captures the essence of the subject.