Prague artist wins £20,000 national self-portrait prize
An artist from the Czech Republic has received £20,000 for winning a self-portrait competition.
Jan Mikulka, who works in Prague, wins the inaugural Royal Society of Portrait Painters' Self Prize. Entitled Self Portrait, the piece was shortlisted from 946 works submitted by 635 artists. "This self-portrait draws you to it through its technical proficiency and expressive power," commented judge Charlotte Mullins of Art Quarterly. "You feel you are standing in front of the artist, watching him concentrate on his likeness - his eyes hooded yet determined, his lips pressed together through concentration," she added. The award encourages artists to "push the boundaries and experiment" with the medium and character of the painting or drawing. Mikulka won the visitor prize in the National Portrait Gallery's BP Portrait Award in 2011 for his photorealistic portrait of his lifelong friend, Jakub. His latest work, Self Portrait, is on display at the Royal Society's annual exhibition at London's Mall Galleries from 9-24 May, Other Royal Society award recipients included Mark Roscoe, who received £10,000 for his portrait of Olivia Roberts, which he painted after winning the Royal Society's Changing Faces Prize last year. This year's Changing Faces Prize went to Andrew James VPRP for his portrait of his father. The prize was established for people and families who are living with conditions, marks or scars that affect their appearance.