BP Portrait Award 2018 at the National Portrait Gallery, 14th June to 23rd September 2018

In the first article, I looked at An Angel at My Table by Miriam Escofet that justifiably earned first place at the BP Portrait Award. Now in this second article, I’m going to appraise more critically the paintings awarded the second and third places, as well as the BP Young Artist award. I will also mention some of the other fine portraits that caught my eye, all of which repay close attention.

BP Portrait Award 2018 at the National Portrait Gallery, 14th June to 23rd September 2018

An Angel at my Table by Miriam Escofet is a worthy winner of the BP Portrait Award for 2018. But all is not what it seems in this painting. There are clues that something else is going on. Why is the statuette blurred and the tea plate have a double image? And who is the second cup meant for? To my eye, this is a painting with a hidden narrative that has so far gone unremarked.