By Devonne Tourre, Asst. Digital Media Editor,
Human figurative art was the focus of the Figurative Drawing and Painting Competition on Oct. 20 in Lore Degenstein Gallery.
The competition was judged by Lance Esplund, an art critic for The Wall Street Journal.
According to Esplund, the 55 works of art showcased were chosen from 380 entries.
“When I approached these artworks, I was looking not for specific subject matter or artistic styles,” Esplund said in his juror’s statement.
“But, rather, for originality, aesthetic strength, probity and authenticity––evident in the pictures’ musicality and in their formal and poetic complexity, in their creators’ engagement with his or her subject and in the artworks’ sense of independent life,” he continued.
“Each work of art is a universe created by its artist,” Esplund said. “The paintings, drawings and collages selected here were those were those that most convincingly conveyed and captivated me with their distinctive worlds.”
“The subject of the human figure, understandably among the oldest in art, is personal: It begins and ends with ourselves,” Esplund explained.
“Yet, the strongest works of figurative art reach beyond their subjects––beyond the individual and into the universal. I hope that some of these artworks … will take us into ourselves and what it means to be unique individuals, but also further, into what it means to be human.”
Competition participants included artists both on and off campus, one of whom was junior Quinn Evans.
On her piece “In the Raw,” Evans said, “I asked two of my friends to model and we were in the studio for a while.”
“I wanted it to be about them and kind of let their own characters show through,” Evans continued.
Evans also participated in last year’s figurative drawing and painting competition in addition to this year’s.
“Both of my parents are artists, so I’ve literally been doing art since day one,” Evans said.
Before choosing the five winners of the competition, Esplund commented on different works chosen for the exhibition.
On “Aptekareva” by Lucas Bononi, Esplund said: “I love the contrast. It reminded me a little bit of the French painter Raoul Dufy, whom I love.”
The five competition winners, from Best in Show to fifth place, were Bob Craig for “Reclining Nude on Loveseat,”
Joanne Landis for “2 Lanterns,” Louis Esposito for “Model with a Bun,” Delia Cadman for “Self Portrait” and Dorothy Frey for “Firepit.”
A total sum of $6,000 was dispersed between the winners: Best in Show received $2,500, second place received $1,250, third place received $950, fourth place received $750 and fifth place received $550.
Previous winners of the competition include Ricky Mujica in 2017 and Alexandra Tyng in 2016.
According to Susquehanna’s website, the exhibition was open to two-dimensional artists in the realms of painting, drawing and printmaking. The works were originally judged digitally before being presented in the gallery.
The figurative drawing and painting exhibit can be viewed until Dec. 9, 2018.
The next exhibition in the gallery will debut next year on Jan. 26 and feature the work of artist Sue Coe.
Coe is an English artist known for her political artwork and activism, especially involving animal rights and other social justice issues. Her work is featured in multiple museums, including the Modern Museum of Art.