I love portraits for the same reason I love memoirs: they go deep where journalistic works go broad. With paintings or photographs, I find myself making all sorts of assumptions about the emotional life of the subject, based on a glance, gesture or pose.
The Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition exhibition, now on at the National Portrait Gallery, offers a chance to invent 49 back stories via a wildly diverse group of finalist entries. Here, my three favorites:
Sarah, David by Yolanda del Amo captures an estranged couple in the midst of ending a marriage. As the woman sits helplessly among packed boxes, we see her male partner through the kitchen door, looking bewildered. Searing.
Tara Cronin by Satomi Shirai is all about 21st century multiculturalism. The subject is half Korean, half-Irish but born and raised in the U.S. According to the exhibition notes, she now considers herself of no particular cultural orientation. It all melds together. I know people like this.
Irish journalist and activist Nell McCafferty wins for bravery. Portrait of Nell by Daniel Mark Duffy celebrates a woman who decided to “get over herself” at age 60 and confront aging head on. I’m impressed. A defiant f**k you to youth; a salute to life, well-lived.
The Outwin Boochever Portrait Competition 2009 is on through August 22, 2010 at the National Portrait Gallery.
Such a cool blog. I’m hoping to move to DC soon… And then this blog will be of even more use to me! For now I’ll have to just enjoy through your words… and hope to go to these places at some point.
Thanks Alexis. Glad to be stoking your interest in DC.
I was lucky enough to have Daniel Mark Duffy as my professor in college
! An AMAZING artist and all around incredible person!