John Moores Painting Prize 2010

Throughout the Biennial, the Walker art gallery is host to the John Moores Painting Prize exhibition. This is the UK’s most prestigious painting prize, which features a wide selection of work from artists engaging in themes and techniques relevant to today’s contemporary practice.

Perhaps my favourite painting was the untitled piece by Jon Braley (2009). This was a semi-abstract suggestion of waves in the ocean, created using paint and resin, which gave an overall glossy finish to the large scale canvas. This raw experience of nature is captured using a multiple amount of layers creating a depth of colour and tone I have rarely come across in a painting. This depth made me consider my own depictions of nature and landscape using HDR photography, and how the processes and outcomes have the ability to be similar; the multiple layering, the ability to produce a glossy outcome using digital printing techniques, and scale. However the subtle marks and impurities within the painting, which are difficult to replicate using digital techniques, give the image more of a genuine, natural feel.

The other painting that encouraged me to stop and ponder for a while was The Emperor Mountain (2010), by Zhang Wei. This particular painting used techniques very similar to the ones I have used in the past. The expressive, impasto painting style creates marks on the surface that seduces its audience to get up close and inspect the raised, gravely textures that almost turns the piece into a sculpture. The technique and natural colour pallet (greens, browns, oranges) suggest a Kiefer inspired product, with the scale that rivals the 19th century landscapes which are hung in the next room.