Lyrical vision wins nation’s richest landscape art prize
18th November 2004
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| Ian Grant and Hillside (Horizon) |
Artist and College of Fine Arts academic Ian Grant has won the 2004 Fleurieu Peninsula Art Prize for his painting Hillside (Horizon).
The $50,000 award is the richest for Australian landscape painting and one of the largest in the world.
Grant said the 137cm by 137cm acrylic on linen painting, based on his experiences in south-western NSW, depicted the kind of land that one would find in many parts of Australia
“My painting isn’t representative of any specific location,” said Grant, who is head of painting studies in the School of Art.
“I’m more interested in using visual structure and pattern to make everyday experiences memorable and evoke a meditative or deep emotional response. There’s also an influence of some Aboriginal painting in its capacity to poetically evoke without illustrating a particular site in a Western sense.”
According to the judging panel, headed by William Boyle of the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, the winning work was “a very subtle painting where strength becomes evident with contemplation”.
“This painting has the most wonderful lyrical and reflective qualities and a great sense of mood,” Boyle said.
This is the second major art award for Grant, who won the Blake Prize for religious art in 1997.
He is also the presiding member of the Imaging the Land International Research Institute (ILIRI) at COFA.
“My work with Idris Murphy and Louise Fowler-Smith at ILIRI has helped me find new ways of imaging the land. Going to the University’s research station at Fowler’s Gap in particular has caused me to rethink and redefine my approach.”
The Dean of COFA, Professor Ian Howard, said: “We are delighted that Ian is the winner for 2004. This is a great effort and continues the very strong tradition of Australian artists coming to grips with the landscape.”
“It is also very pleasing to see that Idris Murphy was in the final selected exhibition for her work Cliff Face Mootawintji. This is a brilliant outcome for the ILIRI team.”
The $50,000 award is the richest for Australian landscape painting and one of the largest in the world.
Grant said the 137cm by 137cm acrylic on linen painting, based on his experiences in south-western NSW, depicted the kind of land that one would find in many parts of Australia
“My painting isn’t representative of any specific location,” said Grant, who is head of painting studies in the School of Art.
“I’m more interested in using visual structure and pattern to make everyday experiences memorable and evoke a meditative or deep emotional response. There’s also an influence of some Aboriginal painting in its capacity to poetically evoke without illustrating a particular site in a Western sense.”
According to the judging panel, headed by William Boyle of the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, the winning work was “a very subtle painting where strength becomes evident with contemplation”.
“This painting has the most wonderful lyrical and reflective qualities and a great sense of mood,” Boyle said.
This is the second major art award for Grant, who won the Blake Prize for religious art in 1997.
He is also the presiding member of the Imaging the Land International Research Institute (ILIRI) at COFA.
“My work with Idris Murphy and Louise Fowler-Smith at ILIRI has helped me find new ways of imaging the land. Going to the University’s research station at Fowler’s Gap in particular has caused me to rethink and redefine my approach.”
The Dean of COFA, Professor Ian Howard, said: “We are delighted that Ian is the winner for 2004. This is a great effort and continues the very strong tradition of Australian artists coming to grips with the landscape.”
“It is also very pleasing to see that Idris Murphy was in the final selected exhibition for her work Cliff Face Mootawintji. This is a brilliant outcome for the ILIRI team.”
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