45th Gibraltar International Competition 2018 - Adjudicator Comments
07-Nov-2018
“Surprisingly daring and full of lots of professional qualities”, that’s how this year’s International Art adjudicator has described the competition. Brian Catling RA, says he’s impressed with the standard of work at the 45th edition of the event, which this year attracted 123 entries.
76 artists
from Gibraltar and Spain took part with a wide range of paintings and
sculptures submitted.
The
top prize was awarded to ‘The Dog with the Broken Back’ by Judith Shaylor. A
work which the adjudicator describes as a contradiction, a disturbing image
painted with a sense of calm and control. “There are many layers of things
occurring in it, it’s a disquieting image where you are not sure if the dog is going
to die, but it’s not a sentimental picture”. He is also impressed with the flag
composition and the geometric screen which creates a divide between the animal
in the foreground and figures in the background, and in this way separates the
main image with the real world.
Does
it capture perhaps a moment between life and death? Mr Catlin asks. It’s a
strange and powerful image, he says, a metaphoric one, combining abstract and
figurative concepts. Simple and effective.
The
Jacobo Azagury Prize ‘A Voyage into The Unknown’, depicts the Rock of Gibraltar
but is a painting about a passage at sea. Brian Catlin says the work by
Gabriela Fernandez Lopez focuses on a moment of calm held between a great
storm, with a boat perhaps a refugee boat, sailing through. He believes it
captures the essence of being at sea where land can became an illusion. But the
artist’s application and technique is something he praises, saying these are
used effectively to create turmoil and movement. A powerful piece, carefully
handled.
The Third
Prize, the Leni Mifsud Award was presented to Derek Duarte for his sculpture
‘Naturaleza Muerta’. An old wooden chair
with twigs attached, sits in one of the vaults, a simple structure, says the
adjudicator, but one that has great presence.A practical object that has its
history but one that’s lost its use, with the twigs that sprout from its base
also dead. “An elegant and beautiful thing”
This
year’s Gibraltar Theme was awarded to a self-portrait. Benjamin Hassan’s
striking picture captured the adjudicator’s interest. He describes the piece as
superbly painted, showing the artist’s humanity and warmth. “I know what kind
of man he is because he is telling me. Gibraltar is not only about landscapes,
but Gibraltar is this person”. This is a significant painting that stands
alone, he adds.
There
were eleven contributions for the Young Artist category with Julian Osbourne’s ‘Shadows’
taking the £1000 prize. The adjudicator describes the artist as a very
promising one, with a great painter’s touch. The figures captured from a
distance, with the shadows more powerful than the images itself. He highlights
the use of the frame to help create the binocular picture, saying it adds to
the composition and general effect.
The
exhibition is on at the Gustavo Bacarisas Gallery at Casemates until the 17th
of November.