A couple of years ago I became obsessed with the idea of winning the Archibald Prize, Australia’s preeminent portraiture competition.
The Archibald is conducted annually by the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney, under the terms of the bequest of the late J.F.Archibald.
It is open to all entries, from anyone who cares to take the time to submit a painting. Thousands of entries are submitted each year. Of those thousands, a selection panel chooses a tiny fraction for hanging. Usually less than 50 paintings make it. Click the following link to see this year’s Chosen Ones. The 2009 exhibition is presently on show:
http://www.thearchibaldprize.com.au/finalists/archibaldThe terms of the Archibald bequest stipulate that the portrait must be of an Australian who has distinguished him/herself in public life. For that reason, it is invariably always filled to overflowing with portraits of actors, socialites, writers, artists, professors, academics and members of the judiciary. Last year, Vincent Fantauzzo’s beautiful portrait of Heath Ledger was voted People’s Choice winner.
Like most amateur artists, my dilemma was that I do not mix in such illustrious circles that would bring me into contact with potential subject matter for a celebrity portrait. I painted the portrait of my boss, a professor, but decided against submitting it. The painting was relatively small and intimate by Archibald standards at just 60cm x 60cm (2ft x 2ft), so I set out on a quest to find a more suitable subject to paint.
I needed to submit a larger-than-life, razzle-dazzle, celebrity entry that would grab the judges’ attention. The person I chose to paint was Fabian Loschiavo, the Mother Inferior of the Sydney Chapter of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.
Here are three preliminary studies of Fabian, taken from life; left profile, full face and three-quarter face. They are rendered in Indian ink and charcoal on cartridge paper. I found Fabian to be a delightful subject and not nearly as scary as I was expecting him to be.