This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/18/archibald-prize-won-by-fiona-lowry-for-portrait-of-architect-penelope-seidler
The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Archibald prize won by Fiona Lowry for portrait of architect Penelope Seidler | Archibald prize won by Fiona Lowry for portrait of architect Penelope Seidler |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Third time's a charm for artist Fiona Lowry, who has won Australia's top portrait prize, the Archibald. Lowry has twice seen her work hung as a finalist, and at last year's award was named runner-up. | |
| Lowry has been awarded $75,000 for her portrait of architect Penelope Seidler. Both Lowry and Seidler were present for the announcement Friday at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, with the artist thanking her subject and describing how the painting came about. | |
| "I first saw Penelope about six years ago at a gallery opening in Alexandria and I was really struck by her beauty and her presence. I asked a friend who she was and decided then that I wanted to paint her. | "I first saw Penelope about six years ago at a gallery opening in Alexandria and I was really struck by her beauty and her presence. I asked a friend who she was and decided then that I wanted to paint her. |
| "For me it's important when I'm making a work I take that person to a place that has history and memory attached to it. And often it's about recording that response in a landscape. In this case we went to Penelope's house, an iconic house in Killara which she designed with her late husband Harry Seidler in the 1960s. | "For me it's important when I'm making a work I take that person to a place that has history and memory attached to it. And often it's about recording that response in a landscape. In this case we went to Penelope's house, an iconic house in Killara which she designed with her late husband Harry Seidler in the 1960s. |
| "It's an incredible space architecturally, but it's also a place full of history and memory of their lives." | "It's an incredible space architecturally, but it's also a place full of history and memory of their lives." |
| After trying a few spots within the house, the pair eventually headed to a gully at the back, in which the house "towers on top of you". Lowry says she captured a moment in which Seidler glanced back at her home, lost in a reverie. The architect says she was recalling a photo taken by Max Dupain, in the same spot, more than 47 years ago. | After trying a few spots within the house, the pair eventually headed to a gully at the back, in which the house "towers on top of you". Lowry says she captured a moment in which Seidler glanced back at her home, lost in a reverie. The architect says she was recalling a photo taken by Max Dupain, in the same spot, more than 47 years ago. |
| Lowry spent one month completing her work, using an airbrush to create a fine spray of paint. The resulting portrait has a muted, ethereal quality that seems to place the subject in literal, and figurative, mists of time. | Lowry spent one month completing her work, using an airbrush to create a fine spray of paint. The resulting portrait has a muted, ethereal quality that seems to place the subject in literal, and figurative, mists of time. |
| In reality, however, Seidler is a commanding presence, eager to celebrate the "double win" for women. This, in a year where the competition's usual gender disparity was nearly bridged — at least in terms of female finalists, though not in terms of subjects which were overwhelmingly male. | In reality, however, Seidler is a commanding presence, eager to celebrate the "double win" for women. This, in a year where the competition's usual gender disparity was nearly bridged — at least in terms of female finalists, though not in terms of subjects which were overwhelmingly male. |
| Mitch Cairns' Reg Richardson AM took out the runners-up prize. While Tim Storrier's portrait of the Barry Humphries character Sir "Les" Patterson won the Packing Prize, which is chosen by the gallery's head storeman Steve Peters. An unusual number of creative figures featured in paintings this year, including Missy Higgins, Nick Cave and Cate Blanchett among the finalists. | Mitch Cairns' Reg Richardson AM took out the runners-up prize. While Tim Storrier's portrait of the Barry Humphries character Sir "Les" Patterson won the Packing Prize, which is chosen by the gallery's head storeman Steve Peters. An unusual number of creative figures featured in paintings this year, including Missy Higgins, Nick Cave and Cate Blanchett among the finalists. |
| Winners of the two adjoining art prizes were also announced, with Michael Johnson's Oceania high low taking the Wynne Prize for best landscape painting and Andrew Sullivan's T-rex (tyrant lizard king) winning the Sulman for best subject painting. 20 finalists were also picked for the Young Archies by former Archibald winner Ben Quilty, a portrait competition for artists aged between 5 and 18. | Winners of the two adjoining art prizes were also announced, with Michael Johnson's Oceania high low taking the Wynne Prize for best landscape painting and Andrew Sullivan's T-rex (tyrant lizard king) winning the Sulman for best subject painting. 20 finalists were also picked for the Young Archies by former Archibald winner Ben Quilty, a portrait competition for artists aged between 5 and 18. |
| This year the gallery has also invited a number of high-profile Australians to tweet their thoughts on the paintings, each Friday until the exhibition close. Guardian cartoonist First Dog on the Moon (@firstdogonmoon) will be the first to play art critic on Friday, July 25, using the hashing #archibald2014. | This year the gallery has also invited a number of high-profile Australians to tweet their thoughts on the paintings, each Friday until the exhibition close. Guardian cartoonist First Dog on the Moon (@firstdogonmoon) will be the first to play art critic on Friday, July 25, using the hashing #archibald2014. |