Juror's Statement: Thank you, everyone, for the excellent artworks you have submitted to "Art of the Equestrian". I am impressed with the quality of all the entries: they display a great deal of technical skill, as well as artistic sensitivity and sincere love of the horse, that most beautiful and captivating animal.
In judging this exhibition I was reminded of an experience in the life of James Herriot, the renowned veterinarian and autobiographer. It concerned a children's pet show which he was supposed to judge--a simple enough task, he thought, until he saw the huge array of lovable pets and eager children. Which was the best? How should he decide? Mr Herriot's solution was to choose according to the unorthodox criterion of which child knew the most about his or her pet.
And so, faced with this undeniably handsome collection of paintings, I have decided to judge according to the criterion "Art of the EQUESTRIAN (emphasis mine)."
Countless artists have depicted horses and horse activities. Anyone can see that they are magnificent creatures, whose form and movement lend themselves easily to the creation of interesting visual forms. The horse sports and lifestyle, as well, are rich in history, lore, and striking visual moments; even artists who are not familiar with horses per se have been inspired to create great artworks featuring them. Indeed, the horse has become an artistic archetype and has spawned genres such as cowboy art, racing art, hunting art, etc.
In the prospectus, this show, "Art of the Equestrian", was differentiated from "general horse art" and so I have looked at each painting with the eye of not only an artist, but an equestrian.
An equestrian is by definition someone who handles a horse. Participating in a life close to horses gives us a different attitude toward them: to us, horses are more than just a form or an idea. We do not always see them in the same way that non-equestrians do.
And I mean that literally! This is why, as the winner of "The Art of the Equestrian", I have chosen PJ AND ME by Debbie Lincoln.
This painting's composition could only have been envisioned by someone who interacts with, rather than merely observes, a horse. Many times, I have sat in my horse's stall looking up at her, or watched as she lowered her head to drink from her bucket, and have admired similar compositions. Congratulations to Ms Lincoln for capturing a viewpoint which is familiar to equestrians, but almost unknown to the public at large. The thrill of being close to a horse is one which enriches our lives and makes us different from "non horsey" people.
In standard art terms, this painting has winning qualities as well. The use of color is excellent: its subtle play of warm and cool conveys a sense of the bright sun and cool shadow, and the painting is free from any muddiness of color or from the cliched addition of mere black and white to form lights and darks.
The paint handling forms a surface which is lively and interesting to look at, yet never merely showy for its own sake. I can sense the decisive hand of the artist in every stroke, and no part of this painting seems to have been overworked.
And finally, the painting functions well not only as a piece of equestrian art, horse art or even representational art, but it also forms a coherent visual whole which can be appreciated from a strictly formal perspective, even if considered as an abstraction. |
