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"Annabelle and Guy"
Annabelle and Guy, 130 X 120 Cm, oil on panel, 2014. Private collection. Miami
The BP Portrait Award
The first prize has been awarded to Matan Ben Cnaan, whose portrait Annablle and guy caught the attention of all the judges. The quality of the light in this portrait is extraordinary, as is the intensity of the gaze of all the subjects depicted – we felt there must be a story behind it."
Pim Baxter, Chair of the Judges, National Portrait Gallery
The portrait is of Guy and his step-daughter Annabelle, friends of the artist. It was inspired by the Biblical story of Jephthah, who vowed that should he win in battle, he would kill the first being he met on returning home. Jephthah was expecting his dog, but it was his daughter who rushed out and he was then bound to sacrifice. Ben Cnaan depicted his subjects near his studio in the Jezreel Valley, Israel. He says: ‘The blinding light here has no mercy, it unifies everything in the portrait.’
BP Portrait Award 2015
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