The winner of the 2019 Sanlam Portrait Award competition was announced during the Top 40 Portraits exhibition opening event at Rust-en-Vrede Gallery on Friday, 23 August. PORTRAIT 100 at the AVA Gallery you can view 60 of the top 100 portraits from the Sanlam Portrait Award 2019.
Lucidity and the acute awareness of lighting ultimately reigned supreme, resulting in the selection of Craig Cameron-Mackintosh’s Lesala in Silhouette as the 2019 overall winning portrait.
Craig Cameron-Mackintosh, an artist, writer and director hailing from White River, and currently residing in Cape Town obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Motion Picture Medium from AFDA in 2009. His background in filmmaking has been fundamental in the production of Billy Monk – Shot in the Dark, a short documentary that he directed about the legendary and enigmatic South African photographer Billy Monk. Craig is also the custodian of Monk’s photographic archive.
Lesala in Silhouette also explores contemporary notions of beauty, ‘blackness’ and masculinity. The painting references the modern-day Adonis, gracing the covers of fitness magazines, whilst giving a nod to the art historical tradition of depicting the ideal male figure in Classical Greece.
As the beauty industry welcomes an era of inclusivity, men worldwide are redefining the standards of ‘male beauty’. According to writer David Yi, this has resulted in a new generation of men taking a stand against conservative visions of masculinity, ultimately reclaiming control over their own image. Cameron-Mackintosh’s chosen subject represents this new ideal and the strongly silhouetted figure exudes vigour, confidence and yet, an aura of gentleness.
Cameron-Mackintosh ultimately succeeded in creating a painting that is not only unique in its technical approach, but presents the embedded narratives in a fresh and inspiring way. Lesala in Silhouette, along with the rest of the
WHAT, WHERE & WHEN: Top 40 Portraits will be on display at Rust-en-Vrede Gallery 10 Wellington Rd, Durbanville, Cape Town, 7550. 23 August until 23 October during gallery hours. T 021 976 4691 / E rustenvrede@telkomsa.net
WHAT, WHERE & WHEN: PORTRAIT 100 at AVA Gallery, 35 Church Street, Cape Town 8001. until 21 September.
