Girl, 14, wins Zurich Young Portrait Prize for drawing of her sister in a mask
Eva McParland - Is This Normal?
An eight-year-old boy sits and contemplates life indoors amid the Covid-19 crisis, while a young girl ponders the tectonic shifts in normality that have occurred in the last year.
These moments are among the winners of the 2020 Zurich Portrait Prize, presented by the National Gallery of Ireland, announced last night as part of an online ceremony.
Is this Normal? (pictured at top of article) by Eva McParland, aged 14, was chosen as the overall winner of the Zurich Young Portrait Prize, taking home a personalised wooden box of high quality art materials, and €500.
In her artist’s statement, McParland said, “This portrait is of my younger sister Ellen. The mask she is putting on is central to the piece. It seems nearly normal now; but not long ago it would seem strange. I think this provokes deeper questions about the concept of normality.”
Portrait of a Boy, Morning by Sligo-based painter, teacher and Crawford graduate Aidan Crotty scooped the top honours: a prize of €15,000, and a €5,000 commission produce a new work for the National Portrait Collection.
The piece sees his son, Rían, basking in morning sun through the window of his family home. In his artist's statement, Crotty says: “Absorbed in the notable quiet, Rían turns to feel the morning light warm his face. As we moved from Spring into Summer this painting gave a basic structure to start the day and is a record of our time in confinement.”
Sarah Bracken Soper's Trailblazer and Sathishaa Mohan's Dylan Logan received highly commended prizes to the sum of €1,500.
Judges Rita Duffy, Dr Philip Cottrell and Aoife Ruane commented collectively on the field of entrants this year. "We have thoroughly enjoyed participating as judges in this year’s Zurich Portrait Prize and were particularly struck by the overwhelming response to the competition. In these challenging times it is great to see those making time for art and experimenting with their practice in new and exciting ways.
"We were delighted to have the opportunity to see the artworks ‘in the flesh’, which was very important when making our collective selection of the winner and two highly commended artworks. What an amazing achievement for you all and one that is truly deserved."
In addition, the Zurich Young Portrait Prize announced age-category and overall winners, judged by Maria Cagney, Colin Davidson and Aoife Dooley.
Conor McPolin, age six, won the 6-and-under category with Conor, a self-portrait.
In the 10-12s category, 10-year-old Jiayi Sun won with a self-portrait set in Beijing, Myself Eating Ice Cream.
A girl in silence, by 12-year-old Zili Yang, was the winner of the 12-15s category, a piece about imagination.
JohnLuka Doherty, aged 17, won the final category with Joey, a portrait of the artist’s school basketball coach.
Each category winner is awarded a personalised box of art materials, and a cash prize of €250.
Sean Rainbird, director of the National Gallery of Ireland, said, “In a challenging year for artists and all those who are part of Ireland’s vibrant cultural ecosystem, we were delighted to receive over 1,000 entries across our two competitions.
"We were thrilled to reopen the Gallery doors just last week, and it’s a joy to watch our visitors explore new work at these exhibitions in our Portrait Gallery. Heartfelt thanks to every artist who submitted a portrait.”
