Each year, the Portrait Society encourages artists to hone their skills and produce new work to submit to the most respected portrait and figure competition in the world, The International. Artists from every corner of the globe will submit paintings, sculptures, drawings, watercolors and other works on paper to be reviewed for possible selection for awards. Among the many honorable mentions and other prizes, approximately 20 pieces will ultimately be chosen as “in the room” finalists for our annual conference exhibition. In 2023 the work selected by our judges will be on display at our 25th annual conference celebration in Washington, D.C. One of those works will receive the coveted Grand Prize award. To celebrate the Portrait Society’s milestone birthday, next year’s Grand Prize award will include a cash prize of $50,000, our largest cash award ever!
2004 Grand Prize Winner: Laura Clark
2006 Grand Prize Winner: Vasudeo Kamath
Over the years, we have seen thousands of terrific works of art considered by our judges. It’s an inspiration to see the love and devotion each and every artist commits to their work, often stretching themselves to new heights. Our longtime chairman, the late Ed Jonas, once committed to paper his thoughts on what he required the judges of the Portrait Society to consider when reviewing the art submitted. Here are some excerpts from his thoughts on judging:
2009 Grand Prize Winner: Joseph Todorovitch
2014 Grand Prize Winner: Bryce Billing
The Standards for the Judging of Works of Art shall be held to the following:
- Originality and uniqueness in concept and design
- Technical proficiency within the potential of the medium
- Aesthetic sophistication
- Fundamental skill development
The judging should be conducted without subjective nor stylistic prejudice under the mantle of providing each work a fair and honest assessment.
To further refine this list, the judge must start by asking:
- What is the artist’s message?
- How successful does it communicate?
- Does the work follow a high aesthetic?
- How successful is the work within its chosen stylistic direction?
- What is the skill level demonstrated within the work’s execution?
- Does the work communicate well on a visual level?
- Does the work fit within or comment upon the present cultural times?
- How “creative” is the work or could it be considered imitative?
2016 Grand Prize Winner: Michael Klein
It may seem logical to hold works that deal with the human figure against inherent anatomical correctness, but this negates any efforts where the forms have been purposefully distorted to follow expressive intent. If we hold to this narrow gauge, then would we not be required to exclude the works of such great artists as Thomas Hart Benton, H. Daumier or Edward Hopper?
The last consideration that a judge must regard is the aesthetic content of the work, and this is the most nebulous subject to define. What kinds of emotions are appropriate for art?
In an 1896 essay titled “What is Art”, Leo Tolstoy outlined what he held to be authentic emotions for artistic expression. He felt that sarcasm, irony, cynicism, melodrama and sentimentality were not authentic emotions as they often come across as phony and contrived. He also stated that purely technical or intellectual works didn’t fulfill the universal strength that is required to contribute to the culture. This may be one man’s opinion, but it is Tolstoy!
2018 Grand Prize Winner: Daniel Keys
2021 Grand Prize Winner: Annie Murphy-Robinson
I can’t speak for all competitions in the art world, but the Portrait Society values the benefits that our competitions provide, allowing us to uphold and honor the ‘best of the best’ within our discipline and inspiring us all to continue our growth as artists. I encourage artists with an interest in portrait and figure work to get out your materials and get to work on producing the finest pieces that you’ve ever created and make the Grand Prize of $50,000 yours in 2023!
Good luck!
Michael Shane Neal
Chairman