This year's Turner Prize has been won by Lubaina Himid, a 63 year old, born in Tanzania.
Frankly the four-person shortlist for this prestigious annual art prize was uninspiring. Ms Himid was possibly the best of a bad lot, although her work looks more (to me) like illustration for cheap novels rather than prize winning painting.
I think The Turner Prize is due for a return to real standards in painting or sculpture.
Above is an example of Ms Himid's work. Make up your own mind!
I wouldn't know if it is worthy of the Turner Prize or not but I don't like it.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if it's totally typical of her work, but she does tend to rely on quite amateurish images. Maybe that's what's required for a Turner Prize!
DeleteThe most boring exhibition I ever went to was the Turner Exhibition in Venice. Every painting looked the same. They all looked as if they'd been painted in fog. I gave up in the end. I strained my eyes trying to decipher them.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean an exhibition of paintings by Turner? He had poor eyesight, hence they blurry images. I love them.
DeleteYes Cro, it was a large exhibition, a few large, but of mainly smaller paintings by Wm. Turner.
DeleteThe Santa Claus at the foot of my blogpost of today has the same winning 'quality' as the picture above.
From a complete artistic numbskull, even I can make the connection with a cheap novel.
ReplyDeleteThey do give that impression; not of a Turner Prize winner.
DeleteI am troubled by her winning partly because her entry was more a celebration of her work from the 1980s which is said to be her strongest work but seems to me not in the spirit of the award being to a contemporary artist for work produced now, and partly because it seems to me a political decision, black female artist, anti-government, celebrating the Black Art Movement rather than purely on artistic ability, My art tutor Gillian Carnegie was a good painter and nominated in 2005. She didn't win. That year it went to someone who produced a shed the meaning of which was a mystery.
ReplyDeleteI think they need a better class of Judges. They seem to look for controversy rather than quality.
DeleteI don't like it, but then I'm not a judge.
ReplyDeleteGreetings Maria x
Nor do I. Nor am I.
DeleteI'm quite indifferent to it but what do I know ..... I do like his jacket though ... very me !!! { that's how shallow I am !! } XXXX
ReplyDeleteHe's quite a dandy. However, it doesn't improve her work.
DeleteI just did a crash course in her work. I don't mind it but none strikes me as being special.
ReplyDeleteI can think of better painters. I can't really think why she was even in the final four.
DeleteIt looks a bit rubbish to me... but I am no art critique...in fact art usually leaves me so far behind I am limping.. but I still don't like it much..
ReplyDeleteJo in Auckland, NZ
First impressions are very important in painting.
DeleteI went to Hull to see the exhibition in the flesh. I spent all of two minutes in that gallery. The winner was the best of a bad lot, and even her exhibit looked as if it had been thrown together junior school style, a bit Blue Peter-ish. I have no idea how the judges minds work.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast I saw an exhibition of students work at Buxton last week. The paintings were outstandingly clever.
I'm glad to hear that my feelings about her stuff are felt elsewhere. Frankly I don't think I would have bothered with the show at all.
DeleteLike it or not, no art prize, whether for painting, writing or cinema is decided free of the socio-political context of the day. From the selections of the French Academy's Salon in the 19th century to the most recent Academy Awards, everything is political.
ReplyDeleteOr at least 'Politically correct'; which I fear may be the case here, although I do hope not.
DeleteLeaving the Turner prize aside, I dare say that if the rather witty offering above had been presented as yours or Rachel's effort your readers and commentators would have fallen over themselves to admire your style, your sense of humour, your playfulness, your clever use of ice cream colours, your ... you name it.
ReplyDeleteAlas the name on the canvas is only that of a Turner prize winner.
U
What a very stupid comment; just what I've come to expect of you.
DeleteI went to look at the work of all 4 nominees and was underwhelmed by all of them. A very politically correct choice of course.
ReplyDeleteSadly that it the case.
DeleteWell I agree completely with bitchontheblog . Rachels and Cros scribblings always provoke ah and oh and how wonderful and great all this is. People will never understand the Tour de France without Rachel awful drawings of the route. It's all a question of what everyone likes or not. I love this painting for many reasons I have no time to explain.
ReplyDeleteChloe
Chloe , don't be a bitch....you should know better
DeleteMay I make a simple request, that you and bitch go somewhere else over the Christmas period. I really don't wish to read this tripe!
DeleteOk I will rephrase that
ReplyDeleteKeep your bile to yourself!
Well young man keep on kneeling down.
DeleteUnbelievably pathetic. Do go away Chloe.
DeleteHey Mr. I'm the best painter in my tiny village between Lecker and my castle. Bye Bye Merry xmas with your beautiful lady.Well old but still tarted with some shiny gloss. Deleting posts is childish Mister .But when being old one return into childhood that's well known.
DeleteLeclerc of course comme dirait un cheval
DeleteIt looks like a paper collage to me.
ReplyDeletecheers, parsnip
I think that's what it is, with a badly painted head popped on top.
Delete