Judges 2010

Steve Abbott – a comedian and author who is famous for his portrayal of oddball characters, particularly one known as The Sandman.  He is an avid supported of grass-roots cricket in Waverley and hosted “Under the Grandstand” (2005) TV-Series during the Ashes series of England.

Dr. Dick Quan - a passionate collector of contemporary Australian and Asian art and a tireless supporter of new talent and new forms and one of Sydney’s most influential visual arts people. A principal patron of Gallery 4A/Asia-Australia, with an impressive knowledge of art who’s name commands automatic respect in contemporary art circles.

John McDonald – art critic for the Sydney Morning Herald – on and off – for more than twenty years. He has written for a wide range of Australian and international publications, worked as an editor and publisher, and lectured at colleges and galleries around the country. He was Head of Australian Art at the National Gallery of Australia from 1999-2000, acting as curator for the exhibition, Federation: Australian Art & Society 1901-2000. From 2002-04 he was director of New Contemporaries, a non-commercial gallery in Sydney.

Jane Kellahan – an internationally exhibited artist who’s painting “White Wickets” won the inaugural Cricket Art Prize in 2009. She has exhibited at the Florence Biennale in Italy, and she is known for her stunningly rich and stimulating paintings through out Australasia.

 

Impartial Judging

To ensure unbiased judgment of a wine, it should be served blind – that is, without the taster(s) having seen the label or bottle shape.  This is referred to as “Blind Tasting”.  A taster’s judgment can be prejudiced by knowing details of a wine, such as geographic origin, price, reputation, colour or other considerations.

So with the Cricket Art Prize, during the initial image pre-selection phase of the competition, all entries will be viewed by the judges-panel without knowing the identity of the artist, to ensure impartial judgment of paintings.

Scientific research has long demonstrated the power of suggestion in perception as well as the strong effects of ‘reputation’, so a judge can be prejudiced by knowing the identity of an artist.

Not even the most experienced judges are immune to the strong effects of celebrity. Therefore, the need for impartial judging is required to ensure a system of fairness and a ‘level playing field’.

So with the Cricket Art Prize, paintings will be judged purely on the basis of subject matter, composition, narrative, technique, execution and aesthetic values.  These characteristics are sometimes referred to as fulfilled intent, skill, uniqueness, inherent meaning and beauty.

 

Judges Selection Process
The main question when considering an artist’s entry is “Does it follow the brief?” i.e. does it “…depict life in and around the game and sport of cricket, in settings of backyard cricket, beach cricket, social-cricket or local club cricket”?  If the answer is yes, then the judges continue with the following questions in mind:
 
Is it a good composition?
Composition considerations are shape and proportion; balance and orientation among the elements; the area within the field of view; the path or direction followed by the viewer’s eye; space; geometry and perspective.

How original is the work?
Good art either explores new subjects, or old subjects in a way that hasn’t been done before. ‘Originality’ means created or invented works i.e. being new or novel, and thus can be distinguished from derivative works. 

What about technique?
Art in its elevated sense requires a certain level of creative expertise by the artist, whether this is a demonstration of technical ability or stylistic approach. Skill of execution is viewed as a quality inseparable from good art and necessary for its success.

Is there a narrative?
Some artists just want to accurately portray a subject, or to express an emotion and others use their art as a vehicle to make a socio-political statement or pay tribute to an activity, philosophy, sport or pastime.  This can be done either obviously or subliminally depending on the artists ’style’ and the viewers imagination and insight.

Is it aesthetically pleasing?
Different strokes for different folks – “one mans meat is another mans poison” they say.  Deliberating beauty, art, taste and its creation is determined by background, current environment and social-conditioning.  Beauty is, and always will be “in the eye of the beholder.”

Summary
All artistic pursuits add to the rich tapestry of life and should stimulate our sensibilities and take us through the whole range of emotions - to laugh, cry, feel contented and provoke or inspire conversation.  It could conjure up memories or make us see the world from a totally different point of view.  This has always been the role of the artist in society and good art prompts a response and dares to be different.