National Gallery of Australia

The artwork that I like the most at the National Gallery is definitely Andy Warhol's "Electric Chair".

Compared to most of Andy Warhol's work, this is a darker and less superficial work of art.  Even though most of Warhol's work is screaming for attention, this particular piece makes the viewer pay MORE attention given that it is not a mundane object or an image that you see often in everyday life.  The subject matter itself confronts the viewer, while the choice of colours and the high contrast of the image give the illusion that it is flashing electricity all over the canvas.  I love this painting (or print) purely for it's shock value (although I do find myself condemning Andy Warhol often for being so arrogant with his so-called "statement" pop-art.  Though they may be social commentaries of the world we live in, people who figure themselves ABOVE art and don't feel the need to explain themselves are the definition of pretentious)

The piece I dislike the most of the gallery's permanent exhibit is  Jo Baer's "Untitled".

I apologizes for my lack of enthusiasm about the apparent minimalist approach the artist has tried to achieve, but when it comes down to it, what are they really trying to say?  If you were trying to find some sort of deeper meaning within this diptych, you could say that the lack of imagery in the painting allows the viewer to create their own image, thus making a critique on peoples' lack of imagination or some such toffery.  However I feel that sabotaging these paintings with molten lead would make more of an artistic statement than whatever it is the Artist is trying to say.  I guess what I am trying to say is that behind all the pretentious critique and 10 dollar words, all you have is just two white canvases.

The National Photography Portrait Prize 2010

Gori, Bougainville 

by Stuart Miller 2009

"The name of this man is Gori and at thirty-five years of age he is an active environmentalist and youth leader among his own Hako community in north Bougainville. When Gori stood for this portrait on the beachfront of the Buka passage a storm had just begun and I was struck by his confidence. Gori, and youth living in Bougainville are an incredibly resilient group of people, which is remarkable considering their hardship living in a post-conflict and troubled environment."

I feel that Stuart Miller's photograph should have won the National Photographic Portrait Prize this year.  In my opinion, portraits should not only portray the emotions of the subject, but also tell their story.  The colours and the lighting set the mood of the picture, and a high shutter speed has captured the rain drops falling around him.  The picture is very detailed, and you can see the water running down Gori's chest as he stares intently into the camera. I am also very impressed with the way that although there is so much in this picture to see, the subject remains the main focus.  This photograph tells the story of a man who stands resilient while hardship "rains down" upon him.  Miller uses symbolism in an original way. 

  

I was angered by this photo and feel that it shouldn't have even been entered in the competition.  There is nothing about the composition that is relevant, the colour is pretty standard and there is even a flash that has been reflected off the poster in the background. As far as "photojournalism" goes, the fact that there are journalists and radio announces everywhere proves that this photo was taken on a whim, with no artistic intent behind it.  A better photo would have been taken on the red carpet. Perhaps, the photo was chosen because it shows and innocent little boy being harassed by Journalists... perhaps the photo was chosen because he is the "walk about" boy... I WILL PROBABLY NEVER KNOW!