Blake Prize for Religious Art

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The Blake Prize for Religious Art is an annual art prize in Australia. The Blake Prize was established in 1949 as an incentive to raise the standard of religious art, founded by Mr R. Morley, the Reverend Michael Scott SJ, Rector of Newman College, University of Melbourne, and lawyer Mrs M. Tenison. It was named after artist and poet, William Blake.

The first Blake Prize was won by Justin O'Brien in 1951. The Blake Exhibitions have been a regular travelling exhibition around Australia, visiting various major cities and provincial galleries. The award of the Blake Prize to Charles Bannon in 1954 for his "Judas Iscariot" was one of the most controversial in its history; this opened controversy over what constituted religious art and over "abstract expressionism" which threatened to overwhelm the exhibition. The prize is administered by the Blake Society.

[edit] List of winners

1951 Justin O'Brien - The Virgin Enthrone
1952 Frank Hinder - Flight into Egypt
1953 Michael Kmit - The Evangelist John Mark
1954 Charles Bannon - Judas Iscariot
1955 Donald Friend - St John and Scenes from the Apocalypse
1956 Eric Smith - The Scourged Christ
1957 Elwynn Lynn - Betrayal
1958 Eric Smith - The Moment Christ Died
1959 Eric Smith - Christ is Risen
1960 John Coburn - Triptych of the Passion
1961 Stanislaus Rapotec - Meditating on Good Friday
1962 Eric Smith - Eucharistic Landscape
1963 Leonard French - Ancient Fragments
1964 Michael Kitching - Last Supper-Premonition
1965 Asher Bilu - I Form Light and Create Darkness-Isaiah 45:7
1966 Rodney Milgate - Ascension
1967 Desiderius Orban - Hosanna
1968 Roger Kemp - The Cross
1969 Eric Smith - The Apostles Creed
1970 Roger Kemp - Denial

Eric Smith - Christ's Flesh: Living, Suffering and Resurrected

1971 Desiderius Orban - Transition to Christianity
1972 Joseph Szabo - Black Friday
1973 Keith Looby - Your Motel Calvary Still Life Flowers
1974 Stuart Maxwell - Christ at Emmaus

Ken Whisson - Tobias and the Angel

1975 Rodney Milgate - Thoughts on Holy Thursday
1976 David Voigt - Blue Requiem
1977 John Coburn - Hozanna

Rodney Milgate - Tree

1978 Noel Tunks - The First Friday Retreat
1979 Ian Gentle Alex Trompf - Roadside Altar Piece Comas
1980 Leonard French - Instruments for a Drama Meditation
1981 David Voigt - Easter in My Room
1982 Mary Anne Coutts Suzie Marston - In Mockery of Christ

Sunday School Work Books

1983 Geoffrey Harvey Ann Taylor - The Offering
1984 Mary Hall - The Spirit of God hovered brooding over the face of the waters
1985 John Gould - Votives to Passion
1986 Roger Akinin - The Day of Atonement, Scapegoat and Apostate
1987 lan Grant - The Monks Cloak

Alan Oldfield - A High and perpetual shewing of Christ's mother according to Julian of Norwich

1988 Lise Floistad - This sign is a hidden treasure which desires to be known
1989 Warren Breninger - Hail Mary
1990 Gillian Mann - The Chest
1991 Alan Oldfield - Raft III

Rosemary Valadon - Before the Fall

1992 George Gittoes - Ancient Prayer
1993 John Davis - Some Thoughts on a Miracle
1994 Hilarie Mais - Veiling Silence
1995 George Gittoes - The Preacher - Kibeho

Massacre Series, Rwanda

1996 Rachel Ellis - Woman at Jesus' feet
1997 Thomas Spence - Christmas Day 1914 (God's Truce)
1998 John Adair - One Dark Night (from St John of the Cross Poem Dark Night of the Soul')
2000 Frances Belle Parker - The Journey
2001 Lachlan Warner - 'Vitrine of lightweight (Sunyata),

disposable (annica) Buddhas, in a range of festive colours, postures and mudras