“The Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize is the leading international photographic portrait competition, celebrating and promoting the very best in contemporary portrait photography.
The Prize has established a reputation for creativity and excellence, with works submitted by a range of photographers, from leading professionals to talented amateurs and the most exciting emerging artists.
The selected images, many of which will be on display for the first time, explore both traditional and contemporary approaches to the photographic portrait whilst capturing a range of characters, moods and locations. The exhibition of fifty-nine works features all of the prestigious prize winners including the winner of the £15,000 first prize” – [1]
This was a last minute unplanned visit to the national portrait gallery. I wasn’t even aware of what was on display in the ‘exhibition’ space which I had visited in 2016 for the William Eggleston Portraits show.
I haven’t managed to get a feel for portraits since beginning my studies…I’ve been interested in street photography and documentary. In the main this is due to themed, in portraiture, to find models and understanding lighting. Even though it is one of my many blind spots I went in with an open mind.
I was not previously aware of the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize but I managed to get a quick look around in the time I had. I suppose my first thought was my surprise at seeing images containing more than one person. Obviously I am aware of family portraits but my notion of an art portrait was of a single sitter a la the Mona Lisa. Not so here, as included here were a pair of soldiers involved in a military re-enactment, some floating swimmers and a family picnic on the beach interrupted by a dog.
There was a mix of properly planned and staged images and candid captured moments. As there was such a range I found myself taking a second look around the two main gallery rooms. One of the standout images was Amadou Sumaila by César Dezfuli. This was a portrait of a migrant from Libya on a boat travelling across the Mediterranean Sea. The horizon and calm sea provides a strong backdrop to the face and the eyes of a determined but tired man looking for a new life. His white t-shirt is muddied suggesting days and weeks trudging to reach his destination. The image succeeds in creating a narrative in a single shot even though we see nothing of his surroundings, only the distant unseen destination. But anyone following the news would know the story but very few would have seen the human angst that can be read in Amadou Sumulia’s eyes.
Another intriguing image was One of Them Is a Human #1 by Maija Tammi. Based on the title I did not know if this was an image of a human or not. It wasn’t until my second look and reading some additional information that I found that it was an image of a robot. That was a fascinating moment as it took art photography in to the future and questioned what photography is and is it a real portrait. The pose and lighting is similar to many fashion magazine images but there was something starnge about the eyes. I then questioned whether I had really seen the detail of such a persons eyes to know how accurate the robot was. It reminded me of the Gillian Wearing passport photo where she wore a mask of her younger self.
Another image that caught my eye was Dapo, Chicks by Camille Mack. This is part of a documentary project studying the diversity of south London. Captured in this image is Dapo in a fried chicken shop. The scene is an ordinary scene of a lad sitting at a dining table in a shop with a tray and condiments standing naturally on the table. The vibrant red reminded me of the colour in William Eggleston’s The Red Ceiling. Here though we see a man looking in to the distance contemplating the next bite of his chip. Although the scene is ordinary the use of depth of field brings the viewers attention to the subjects eyes. What is he thinking? Is he troubled? What are his plans? Is this a regular meal or part of a night out? Alone or with friends?
These questions of wanting to the story of the character are the most interesting portraits. The least successful are the group scenes as these are more like snapshots recording what is happening at that moment in front of the lens. The three images identified above have a story behind the eyes that the viewer can bring to the experience of looking.
Having noticed on my way out that the judges had already awrded the prize I found that 1st prize went to Amadou Sumaila by César Dezfuli, 2nd was Fleeing Mosul by Abbie Trayler-Smith and 3rd One of Them Is a Human #1 by Maija Tammi.
The 2nd place image I hadn’t even seen so went back to look for it. When I saw it I found it to be a troubling image of a girl taken through a bus window. Her face has the look of a classic portrait painting. But the subjects eyes, once again, hold on to the story. Fears from the past and fears fro the future. An extra detail of the rain running down the glass suggests tears of loss. The images other strength is the fortunate similarity in colour of the bus curtains and the girl’s headscarf.
I found this to be an excellent insight in to the portraiture genre and still feel a reluctance to try this type of work.
References:
- Exhibition website: https://www.npg.org.uk/whatson/twppp-2017/exhibition/
Martyn Rainbird 