Sulman Prize 2012 (finalist)

The Archibald, Wynne and Sulman Prizes is an annual exhibition eagerly anticipated by artists and audiences alike. It never ceases to create lively debate amongst the arts community and wider public. Each year, the trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW judge the Archibald and Wynne Prizes, and invite an artist to judge the Sulman Prize (in 2012, it is Susan Norrie) :: more info

The Painting :: This work comes about from my travels to St Petersburg, Russia. While there I spent many hours in the State Hermitage Museum where I was captivated not only by the paintings and space around me but also by the people and their engagement with the works and the museum environment. This group was gathered around a painting by Raphael, The Holy Family (Madonna with the beardless Joseph), 1505–06. It appeared to me that they were receiving a lecture about the work. The scene fascinated me; a group of young men in military-style uniform studying this wonderfully gentle painting.



The Painting
oil on linen
2011
102 x 92 cm