Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Video Interview with Winner of the BP Portrait Award 2015

Matan Ben Cnaan, the Winner of the First Prize in the at the BP Portrait Exhibition 2015 kindly gave me a video interview last week.



Judging by the coverage of the exhibition that I've found via Google, this interview is the only one with the artist where there is anything new to say beyond what was produced by the National Portrait Gallery as part of their press release.

We talked about:
  • how he came to enter the BP Portrait Award
  • how the process worked for him
  • the difference made by the fact the first round is now 100% digital entry
  • what it was like being without the painting - until he saw it again in the gallery 

It also includes an interesting comment on looking at the painting and looking at a photo of the painting!  That's one which I hope a few people will ponder on!


Matak Ben Cnaan with his visually arresting portrait of 
"Annabelle and Guy" 
which won the £30,000 First Prize in
the BP Portrait Award 2915

About Matan Ben Cnaan


Matan lives and works in Emek-Jezreel in the north of Israel and he is the first Israeli artist to win the award. (I have to apologise to Matan for the fact I got the name of the valley he lives in wrong in my video!)

He initially trained as an art teacher. In 2007, he graduated with a B.Ed degree in Fine Arts and Educational Sciences from Oranim Academic College. He then went on to do a Masters Degree in Fine art at Haifa University.

Pn his website he talks about his work....
I am a contemporary Israeli painter. In my work I study and capture the local Israeli with a non-romantic yet sentimental view. The land and its people partake equally in my view of today’s Israel.... Politics as well as Historical and Biblical themes are for me like the mythological and religious inspirations for the Old Masters creations. 
This is:
You can read more about the painting in my previous two posts:

More videos about the BP Portrait


You can find my interviews with previous BP Portrait Award Winners on Making A Mark - the Video Channel on YouTube. This is my Portrait and Travel Awards Playlist

These include other Winners of the First Prize:
Plus other winners of the second and third prizes - including this year's second place prizewinner - Michael Gaskell - BP Portrait Award 2015 (2nd Prize)

The Exhibition


You can see the 2015 BP Portrait Award Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in London.

More about the BP Portrait 2015


BP Portrait Award - previous years


I've been covering the BP Portrait Award for some years and have an extensive archive of posts relating to previous competitions which I know are much studied by those contemplating an entry!

BP Portrait Award - Shortlisted artists on Making A Mark:

BP Portrait award 2014

BP Portrait Award 2013

BP Portrait Award 2012

BP Portrait Award 2011

BP Portrait Award 2010

BP Portrait Award 2009

BP Portrait Award 2008


BP Portrait Award 2007

Posted by Making A Mark on Tuesday, June 23, 2015
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