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The Tracey Emin. | 0:00:02 | 0:00:03 | |
Britain's top artists make big money. | 0:00:03 | 0:00:06 | |
Their works can go for millions. | 0:00:06 | 0:00:08 | |
..seven million. Thank you. | 0:00:08 | 0:00:11 | |
So how do you get a slice of the action? | 0:00:12 | 0:00:15 | |
Now's your chance to find out, as we offered all-comers | 0:00:15 | 0:00:19 | |
the opportunity to fight for a spot at the hottest exhibition in town. | 0:00:19 | 0:00:25 | |
-Bring it on, please, open the door. -Art really matters to me. | 0:00:25 | 0:00:28 | |
I want to do this for the rest of my life. | 0:00:28 | 0:00:30 | |
They could stand to make some serious cash. | 0:00:30 | 0:00:34 | |
What's your value for this painting? | 0:00:34 | 0:00:35 | |
I've put it to between five-to-ten thousand pounds. | 0:00:35 | 0:00:39 | |
-I'd like £100,000 for it. -Wow. | 0:00:39 | 0:00:41 | |
But first, they need the seal of approval from three of the art world's toughest critics. | 0:00:41 | 0:00:46 | |
I think it looks like it's from the centrefold of a men's magazine. | 0:00:46 | 0:00:49 | |
My first impression when I saw the picture was... was actual disgust. | 0:00:49 | 0:00:53 | |
Their hopes and dreams are in the hands of the Hanging Committee. | 0:00:53 | 0:00:57 | |
I think you need to go back to the drawing board. Literally. | 0:00:57 | 0:01:01 | |
It's time to Show Me the Monet. | 0:01:01 | 0:01:04 | |
Hello and welcome to the Show Me The Monet exhibition, | 0:01:06 | 0:01:09 | |
here at the Royal College of Art in central London. | 0:01:09 | 0:01:12 | |
Some of the world's most famous names - | 0:01:12 | 0:01:15 | |
Tracey Emin, David Hockney and Henry Moore - have all studied here. | 0:01:15 | 0:01:20 | |
Now, over the last few months, | 0:01:20 | 0:01:21 | |
artists ranging from seasoned professionals to rank amateurs | 0:01:21 | 0:01:25 | |
have been braving our Hanging Committee | 0:01:25 | 0:01:27 | |
in the hope that their work will find a place on these walls. | 0:01:27 | 0:01:32 | |
Charlotte Mullins has written eight books on contemporary culture. | 0:01:34 | 0:01:39 | |
She knows what it takes to cut it in the modern art world. | 0:01:39 | 0:01:42 | |
We're looking for originality. It could be a new twist on an old subject, | 0:01:42 | 0:01:46 | |
or a new subject, a new perspective on something. | 0:01:46 | 0:01:48 | |
Critic David Lee's been holding the art establishment to account | 0:01:50 | 0:01:54 | |
for over 20 years. | 0:01:54 | 0:01:55 | |
His pet hate is work that's all explanation and no substance. | 0:01:55 | 0:02:00 | |
I'm looking for good technique. I think it's very important | 0:02:00 | 0:02:05 | |
that artists are good at what they do. | 0:02:05 | 0:02:07 | |
And as an auction house expert, | 0:02:07 | 0:02:09 | |
Roy Bolton has sold thousands of paintings over the years. | 0:02:09 | 0:02:12 | |
But he knows there's more to great art than just commercial value. | 0:02:12 | 0:02:16 | |
We're looking for an emotional response, | 0:02:16 | 0:02:18 | |
something we feel part of, something we care about. | 0:02:18 | 0:02:21 | |
Artists from across the country, have braved this terrible trio, | 0:02:21 | 0:02:25 | |
hoping to realise their dreams of making a living from their art, | 0:02:25 | 0:02:29 | |
by winning a chance sell their work through our Royal College of Art exhibition. | 0:02:29 | 0:02:35 | |
Now, the judges were looking for originality, technical skill | 0:02:35 | 0:02:39 | |
and for the piece of work to make an emotional impact. | 0:02:39 | 0:02:41 | |
Now, if two out of the three judges gave it a thumbs up, | 0:02:41 | 0:02:45 | |
it was on its way to this exhibition at the Royal College of Art. | 0:02:45 | 0:02:48 | |
When we asked amateur and professional artists | 0:02:49 | 0:02:53 | |
to send us their work, we were amazed at the response. | 0:02:53 | 0:02:56 | |
Keen to move from her day job as a recruitment consultant | 0:02:56 | 0:03:00 | |
into becoming a full-time artist, | 0:03:00 | 0:03:01 | |
Sanna Jarl-Hansson presented this unusual self-portrait on wood. | 0:03:01 | 0:03:06 | |
I used some ink and charcoal and a scalpel. | 0:03:06 | 0:03:12 | |
Her work was certainly individual. | 0:03:12 | 0:03:16 | |
Emotionally, I am very unsettled by it. | 0:03:16 | 0:03:20 | |
The oldness of it and the scratching. | 0:03:20 | 0:03:22 | |
But was she going to get a crack at selling it at the Royal College exhibition? | 0:03:22 | 0:03:26 | |
-Sanna, I'm going to say yes. -I'm also going to say yes. | 0:03:26 | 0:03:31 | |
-A fait accompli, Sanna. You will be in the exhibition. -Thank you. | 0:03:31 | 0:03:36 | |
Recent art graduate Robert Sae-Heng | 0:03:37 | 0:03:40 | |
used a life experience of his own to inspire his self-portrait. | 0:03:40 | 0:03:44 | |
It was a time when I was really ill. | 0:03:44 | 0:03:47 | |
I got chicken pox and swine flu at the same time. | 0:03:47 | 0:03:51 | |
It got the judges talking. | 0:03:51 | 0:03:52 | |
My first impression when I saw the picture was... was actual disgust. | 0:03:52 | 0:03:58 | |
It's got a great deal of energy in it. | 0:03:58 | 0:04:00 | |
But could that energy carry him all the way to the exhibition? | 0:04:00 | 0:04:04 | |
Technique... it's slack. You're going to get the kiss of death from me. | 0:04:04 | 0:04:09 | |
-No. -OK. | 0:04:09 | 0:04:10 | |
Richard Davidson abandoned a lucrative career in law to paint full-time. | 0:04:11 | 0:04:17 | |
And he draws on his past to inspire his painting. | 0:04:17 | 0:04:19 | |
I had in mind to feel like they were in a city environment, | 0:04:22 | 0:04:24 | |
but there's nobody else there. | 0:04:24 | 0:04:26 | |
David wasn't sure he should have given up the day job. | 0:04:26 | 0:04:30 | |
I don't find it original. I do think there's something missing from that, | 0:04:30 | 0:04:34 | |
some hint as to what's going on. | 0:04:34 | 0:04:37 | |
But Charlotte was gripped by his distinctive style. | 0:04:37 | 0:04:41 | |
I love the way you have energised this composition | 0:04:41 | 0:04:45 | |
with a very, very simple idea. | 0:04:45 | 0:04:48 | |
He needed two yes votes for a chance to make money at the exhibition. | 0:04:48 | 0:04:52 | |
Not enough balls in the air for me. Sorry, no. | 0:04:53 | 0:04:57 | |
I know what David means, but there are for me, so it's a yes. | 0:04:57 | 0:05:00 | |
Richard, I think I'm going to say yes. | 0:05:00 | 0:05:03 | |
We will see your work at the Royal College of Art. | 0:05:03 | 0:05:05 | |
It's time now for today's first Hanging Committee, | 0:05:07 | 0:05:11 | |
at Liverpool's Walker Art Gallery. | 0:05:11 | 0:05:13 | |
Artists came from all over the north of England to face the judges, | 0:05:13 | 0:05:17 | |
amongst artworks spanning seven centuries. | 0:05:17 | 0:05:21 | |
Well, there are quite a few gems in the Walker Gallery, | 0:05:22 | 0:05:25 | |
but one of the most popular is this one. | 0:05:25 | 0:05:28 | |
It's a painting by William Frederick Yeans entitled | 0:05:28 | 0:05:32 | |
"And When Did You Last See Your Father?" | 0:05:32 | 0:05:35 | |
It depicts a harrowing scene during the English Civil War | 0:05:35 | 0:05:38 | |
between the Cavaliers and the Roundheads. | 0:05:38 | 0:05:40 | |
Well, the young boy is being interrogated by the Parliamentarians | 0:05:40 | 0:05:44 | |
and they're searching for the boy's father. | 0:05:44 | 0:05:46 | |
So will he tell the truth, as he's presumably been taught, | 0:05:46 | 0:05:49 | |
or will he lie in an attempt to save his father's life? | 0:05:49 | 0:05:52 | |
Pretty chilling stuff. | 0:05:52 | 0:05:54 | |
Could you imagine being interrogated under such intensity? | 0:05:54 | 0:05:57 | |
One Hanging Committee contender | 0:05:57 | 0:06:00 | |
who faced her very own inquisition in Liverpool | 0:06:00 | 0:06:03 | |
was 22-year-old Hannah Dyson, who travelled up from Aberyswyth. | 0:06:03 | 0:06:06 | |
She's new to the art world, but is now hoping to make a career of it. | 0:06:06 | 0:06:10 | |
-Nice to meet you, Hannah. -Hi. -Welcome. -Very nice to be here. | 0:06:12 | 0:06:17 | |
How are you feeling? | 0:06:17 | 0:06:18 | |
Erm, well, five seconds ago, I wasn't nervous, but now a little bit. | 0:06:18 | 0:06:22 | |
I figure having criticism like this, | 0:06:22 | 0:06:24 | |
I know quite a lot of people would give an arm and a leg. | 0:06:24 | 0:06:27 | |
So even if they say really horrible things, it's sort of still worthwhile. | 0:06:27 | 0:06:31 | |
I'd really like to be a professional artist and I'm nowhere near that sort of stage yet. | 0:06:31 | 0:06:35 | |
Now you weren't always determined to be a professional artist, I hear. | 0:06:35 | 0:06:40 | |
I didn't really study art at school. | 0:06:40 | 0:06:41 | |
-I left and I studied dentistry for a year. -Dentistry and the art link... | 0:06:41 | 0:06:45 | |
The only thing I can sort of relate today about dentistry | 0:06:45 | 0:06:48 | |
and what you're going to do now, is there's a lot of waiting around | 0:06:48 | 0:06:53 | |
and it could get very painful. | 0:06:53 | 0:06:55 | |
-That's a really amusing analogy, I like it. -Let's have no screaming. | 0:06:55 | 0:06:59 | |
All right, well, good luck. And go and knock 'em dead. Go on. | 0:06:59 | 0:07:04 | |
Ah, thank you. | 0:07:04 | 0:07:05 | |
Hannah's got a lot riding on this canvas painting entitled "Kathryn". | 0:07:14 | 0:07:19 | |
She's swapped the prospect of a secure income as a dentist | 0:07:20 | 0:07:24 | |
for art school, | 0:07:24 | 0:07:25 | |
but will the judges confirm she'll be able to make a living out of her art? | 0:07:25 | 0:07:30 | |
Hannah, welcome to the Hanging Committee. | 0:07:32 | 0:07:34 | |
-Please tell us about your work. -It's a portrait of my mother asleep. | 0:07:34 | 0:07:38 | |
My mum's quite a strong character. This was when she'd just been ill. | 0:07:38 | 0:07:42 | |
That feeling was a bit weird, | 0:07:42 | 0:07:44 | |
but I remember coming down and she was asleep on the sofa. | 0:07:44 | 0:07:46 | |
There was light coming in, and it was beautiful, | 0:07:46 | 0:07:49 | |
so I got a camera and thought, "It's going to have to be done." | 0:07:49 | 0:07:52 | |
Could I ask you what you value your work at? | 0:07:52 | 0:07:55 | |
Well, I'm valuing it at £350 | 0:07:55 | 0:07:58 | |
because I'm obviously an amateur artist. | 0:07:58 | 0:08:02 | |
That's still very low for an oil painting. | 0:08:02 | 0:08:04 | |
Would we be able to come and take a closer look? | 0:08:04 | 0:08:07 | |
-By all means, yeah. -Thank you. | 0:08:07 | 0:08:08 | |
Hannah's obviously very nervous, but she's holding it together | 0:08:10 | 0:08:14 | |
and I think she's doing quite a good job. | 0:08:14 | 0:08:16 | |
If Hannah gets the judges' seal of approval, | 0:08:19 | 0:08:21 | |
it'll boost her confidence to follow her dream. | 0:08:21 | 0:08:25 | |
But first, her work has to pass the three tests. | 0:08:25 | 0:08:28 | |
Does it have originality, skill and emotional impact? | 0:08:28 | 0:08:31 | |
You mentioned you were an amateur artist. Have you been to art school? | 0:08:38 | 0:08:42 | |
I'm just in my first year at university at the moment. | 0:08:42 | 0:08:45 | |
-Can I be honest with you? -Yeah, please do. | 0:08:45 | 0:08:48 | |
When you walked in, I was surprised. I wouldn't put you - | 0:08:48 | 0:08:51 | |
you're relatively young - with this style of painting. | 0:08:51 | 0:08:54 | |
This style of painting to me is sort of 30 years out of date. | 0:08:54 | 0:08:57 | |
Really? OK. | 0:08:57 | 0:08:59 | |
Freud, for the biggest example. He's still painting, | 0:08:59 | 0:09:02 | |
but the style formulated in the '60s and '70s. | 0:09:02 | 0:09:06 | |
As far as the lines you've used and the draftsmanship, | 0:09:06 | 0:09:08 | |
I would pick up on one or two tiny little things. | 0:09:08 | 0:09:12 | |
-For instance, her scalp recedes too far. -I think Roy's right, Hannah. | 0:09:12 | 0:09:17 | |
There are problems with the drawing. | 0:09:17 | 0:09:19 | |
Her right arm looks like a leg of lamb, or a hoof or something, | 0:09:19 | 0:09:23 | |
and her other arm looks like another cut of meat. | 0:09:23 | 0:09:26 | |
If you get your drawing right you will find the expression is stronger. | 0:09:26 | 0:09:31 | |
To be honest, I don't really mind if you don't like it because... | 0:09:31 | 0:09:35 | |
We're not saying that. We're trying to give you constructive advice. | 0:09:35 | 0:09:39 | |
What we're looking for in paintings to go through to the exhibition | 0:09:39 | 0:09:42 | |
are originality, technical ability and an emotional engagement with us. | 0:09:42 | 0:09:46 | |
-OK. -I think your style, for a young artist, is going to develop | 0:09:46 | 0:09:50 | |
out of something that has been done before and take you into new areas. | 0:09:50 | 0:09:54 | |
But I think your style, how you paint, is very good. | 0:09:54 | 0:09:57 | |
-That's really positive. Thank you. -We're now going to vote | 0:09:57 | 0:10:00 | |
-whether the painting's good enough to go through to the exhibition. -Yeah. | 0:10:00 | 0:10:04 | |
By taking amateurs' work to the Royal College of Art to exhibit | 0:10:04 | 0:10:08 | |
and sell, the judges are putting their reputations on the line. | 0:10:08 | 0:10:12 | |
Will they offer Hannah this golden opportunity? | 0:10:12 | 0:10:15 | |
David, yes, or no? | 0:10:15 | 0:10:17 | |
It's not nearly perfect yet... | 0:10:17 | 0:10:19 | |
..but you deserve encouragement. Yes. | 0:10:22 | 0:10:25 | |
-Roy? -I agree with that. | 0:10:25 | 0:10:28 | |
Whether the encouragement | 0:10:31 | 0:10:32 | |
should come in the context of the exhibition, I'm not sure. | 0:10:32 | 0:10:38 | |
I think I will have to say no. | 0:10:38 | 0:10:40 | |
Everything is riding on this for Hannah. | 0:10:42 | 0:10:44 | |
Winning that exhibition spot means recognition and a chance to sell her work. | 0:10:44 | 0:10:49 | |
She desperately needs a second yes. | 0:10:49 | 0:10:51 | |
Um, Hannah... | 0:10:52 | 0:10:54 | |
unfortunately, I am going to say no. | 0:10:56 | 0:10:58 | |
But you should keep painting. I think you've really got something. | 0:10:59 | 0:11:03 | |
Thank you very much for bringing your work to show to us. And... | 0:11:03 | 0:11:08 | |
Oh, come here. I'm sorry. | 0:11:08 | 0:11:10 | |
Keep going, you're good. Just not quite there yet. | 0:11:11 | 0:11:15 | |
-Go and work at it, Hannah. -I always get emotional, it's cool. | 0:11:15 | 0:11:18 | |
You are good enough to be a professional. | 0:11:18 | 0:11:20 | |
-Thank you very much. That does mean a lot to me. Thank you. -Thank you. | 0:11:20 | 0:11:24 | |
-Shall I go now? -Thank you very much for coming in. | 0:11:24 | 0:11:27 | |
She was so upset! | 0:11:27 | 0:11:29 | |
So Hannah's painting won't be going into our sale. | 0:11:29 | 0:11:33 | |
It's a crushing disappointment and she's taking it very much to heart. | 0:11:33 | 0:11:38 | |
-It was tough, wasn't it? -I expected them to be tough. | 0:11:38 | 0:11:43 | |
But I expected to be able to respond...better. | 0:11:43 | 0:11:46 | |
-And I can tell you another thing, there's a very serious art critic there... -Yeah. | 0:11:46 | 0:11:50 | |
..who says he wants to encourage you because you have the ability. | 0:11:50 | 0:11:54 | |
-Uh-huh. -And believe you me, he doesn't give compliments very easily, right? | 0:11:54 | 0:11:58 | |
-Well, that means a lot, that does mean a lot. -That does mean a lot. | 0:11:58 | 0:12:02 | |
You made a mistake. | 0:12:02 | 0:12:04 | |
If I'd come here today and got in really easily, | 0:12:04 | 0:12:07 | |
it would be less motivational than what's actually happened. | 0:12:07 | 0:12:10 | |
I think it stands up as it is. | 0:12:10 | 0:12:14 | |
Still to come on today's show... | 0:12:18 | 0:12:20 | |
the judges get to the bottom of one artist's inspiration. | 0:12:20 | 0:12:25 | |
This bottom belongs to my boyfriend. | 0:12:25 | 0:12:28 | |
I do have the pleasure of looking at this particular rump on a regular basis! | 0:12:28 | 0:12:32 | |
And we meet a young artist with high hopes for selling his work. | 0:12:33 | 0:12:38 | |
-Could you tell us what price you'd put on your piece? -30 grand. | 0:12:38 | 0:12:43 | |
-30,000? -Wow. | 0:12:43 | 0:12:45 | |
We'll find out a bit later on if they survived their grilling | 0:12:45 | 0:12:49 | |
and made it to this exhibition, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity | 0:12:49 | 0:12:53 | |
to mingle with real A-listers from the art world. | 0:12:53 | 0:12:57 | |
I can tell you every single artist that has made it here, | 0:12:57 | 0:13:00 | |
it's been a tough and long journey. | 0:13:00 | 0:13:02 | |
Our next artist has certainly put in a lot of work to get to this point. | 0:13:04 | 0:13:09 | |
At London's Foundling Museum, | 0:13:09 | 0:13:12 | |
I caught up with single mum, CJ Munn. | 0:13:12 | 0:13:15 | |
A place at the exhibition could give a crucial boost | 0:13:15 | 0:13:18 | |
to her career as a sculptor. | 0:13:18 | 0:13:21 | |
Tell me about yourself. Where do you live? | 0:13:21 | 0:13:23 | |
I'm from Maidstone in Kent and I'm a full-time artist, | 0:13:23 | 0:13:27 | |
mainly lifecasting and sculpture. | 0:13:27 | 0:13:30 | |
-Lifecasting, so that's body parts? -That's right, yes. | 0:13:30 | 0:13:33 | |
This exhibition that's hanging there could be yours, potentially yours. | 0:13:33 | 0:13:37 | |
What would it mean to you? Would that be recognition for you? | 0:13:37 | 0:13:40 | |
I have been a single parent for a very long time. | 0:13:40 | 0:13:43 | |
My partner, also an artist, just moved in with us. | 0:13:43 | 0:13:46 | |
But it's still a struggle to get recognition and to be able to get | 0:13:46 | 0:13:52 | |
the sort of money you need to keep a mortgage going and raise a child. | 0:13:52 | 0:13:57 | |
I don't want to stop doing what I love. | 0:13:57 | 0:13:59 | |
I think it would break my heart if I had to. | 0:13:59 | 0:14:02 | |
So hopefully this would raise my standing in the art world | 0:14:02 | 0:14:06 | |
and people will love what I do. | 0:14:06 | 0:14:09 | |
I hope so. Good luck. | 0:14:09 | 0:14:10 | |
And I can't wait to see your body parts...so to speak... | 0:14:10 | 0:14:14 | |
on exhibition. Away you go before I get into more trouble. | 0:14:14 | 0:14:17 | |
Thanks. Bye, Chris. | 0:14:17 | 0:14:18 | |
CJ's gambling on this acrylic and plaster of Paris lifecast | 0:14:21 | 0:14:26 | |
to secure her exhibition place. | 0:14:26 | 0:14:28 | |
She's desperate to make her art pay so she can keep on sculpting | 0:14:28 | 0:14:31 | |
without having to compromise her family's lifestyle. | 0:14:31 | 0:14:36 | |
-Hello, CJ, welcome to the Hanging Committee. -Thank you. | 0:14:36 | 0:14:40 | |
Would you tell us about your work? | 0:14:40 | 0:14:41 | |
Yes, this is a piece I call Wearing William. | 0:14:41 | 0:14:45 | |
It's a gypsum lifecast of a male body, as you can see, | 0:14:45 | 0:14:49 | |
hand-painted with a design loosely inspired by a William Morris print. | 0:14:49 | 0:14:55 | |
I strongly feel that it's time to return to a time | 0:14:55 | 0:15:00 | |
where old-fashioned aesthetic values become important again. | 0:15:00 | 0:15:03 | |
I think there's too much gimmickry and nonsense and shock value | 0:15:03 | 0:15:07 | |
in contemporary art, | 0:15:07 | 0:15:09 | |
and I love art that is just allowed to be beautiful and make people smile. | 0:15:09 | 0:15:14 | |
And what value do you place on this work? | 0:15:14 | 0:15:17 | |
Around the sort of £1,500 to £2,000 mark. | 0:15:17 | 0:15:20 | |
And have you sold work at that value before? | 0:15:20 | 0:15:22 | |
Yes, I have. | 0:15:22 | 0:15:23 | |
-Could we take a closer look? -Yes, of course. -Thank you. | 0:15:23 | 0:15:26 | |
For single mum CJ, the judges' approval could be her passport | 0:15:30 | 0:15:34 | |
to a more secure future. | 0:15:34 | 0:15:36 | |
She needs the votes of two of the three | 0:15:36 | 0:15:40 | |
to get the chance to sell her work at our sale. | 0:15:40 | 0:15:42 | |
CJ, can I ask a rather indelicate question? | 0:15:45 | 0:15:48 | |
Whose bottom are we looking at? | 0:15:48 | 0:15:50 | |
This bottom belongs to my muse, | 0:15:50 | 0:15:52 | |
who was also my mentor when I started lifecasting, who became my friend, | 0:15:52 | 0:15:58 | |
my colleague and now my boyfriend. | 0:15:58 | 0:16:00 | |
I do have the pleasure of looking at this particular rump, | 0:16:02 | 0:16:07 | |
-without the patterns on it, on a regular basis. -Oh! | 0:16:07 | 0:16:09 | |
William Morris must be turning in his chintz shroud, CJ. | 0:16:11 | 0:16:16 | |
CJ, you've railed against shock values in art. | 0:16:16 | 0:16:19 | |
I presume you're levelling that at people like | 0:16:19 | 0:16:21 | |
Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin, but I think this is shock art. | 0:16:21 | 0:16:25 | |
You're trying to do what they're doing, catch the eye instantly. | 0:16:25 | 0:16:29 | |
I think with a lot of contemporary art, | 0:16:29 | 0:16:31 | |
although it may provide some entertainment and amusement | 0:16:31 | 0:16:34 | |
and shock value in the first five minutes, | 0:16:34 | 0:16:37 | |
then the value of it is gone and diminished, | 0:16:37 | 0:16:40 | |
and in 30 years' time, it won't be shocking, | 0:16:40 | 0:16:42 | |
whereas I think this piece will still be lovely in 30 years. | 0:16:42 | 0:16:45 | |
Shocking or not, the panel must decide if CJ's work shows | 0:16:46 | 0:16:50 | |
the originality, technique and emotional power they're looking for. | 0:16:50 | 0:16:55 | |
Originality, yes. | 0:16:55 | 0:16:57 | |
It's... I've not seen anything quite like that before. | 0:16:57 | 0:17:01 | |
I mean, there's something distinctly naff about it, actually. | 0:17:01 | 0:17:04 | |
I'm bewildered, and that's sufficient for me. | 0:17:04 | 0:17:07 | |
Whenever I'm completely speechless about an object, | 0:17:09 | 0:17:14 | |
it usually means it's got something. | 0:17:14 | 0:17:16 | |
What I can see with this is ten different versions, pick your pattern and hang it on your wall. | 0:17:16 | 0:17:21 | |
I find it an amazing thing to look at, | 0:17:21 | 0:17:23 | |
but is that enough as an art object? I'm not sure. | 0:17:23 | 0:17:27 | |
I am not getting a huge amount of what you're trying to communicate. | 0:17:27 | 0:17:31 | |
As a surreal piece of sculpture, it definitely has originality, | 0:17:31 | 0:17:34 | |
but I'm not getting an emotional connection with it. I'm sorry. | 0:17:34 | 0:17:38 | |
That's fair enough. | 0:17:38 | 0:17:40 | |
A few positive comments from the panel, | 0:17:40 | 0:17:43 | |
but they've not been shy to criticise where they've found fault. | 0:17:43 | 0:17:46 | |
It's a difficult one to call. | 0:17:46 | 0:17:48 | |
Remember, two yeses mean CJ's off to the Royal College of Art, | 0:17:48 | 0:17:52 | |
where she might be able to sell her piece to a collector. | 0:17:52 | 0:17:55 | |
Roy, yes, or no? | 0:17:57 | 0:17:59 | |
Modelling like this bores me... | 0:17:59 | 0:18:01 | |
..but as an object, it's so exciting visually, I have to say yes. | 0:18:03 | 0:18:07 | |
Thank you. | 0:18:07 | 0:18:08 | |
David, yes, or no? | 0:18:08 | 0:18:11 | |
It's ridiculous... | 0:18:15 | 0:18:16 | |
..but yes. | 0:18:20 | 0:18:21 | |
Well, CJ, I was going to say no. | 0:18:21 | 0:18:26 | |
What does it matter? | 0:18:26 | 0:18:27 | |
The two men love the man's bottom. | 0:18:27 | 0:18:29 | |
You are in our exhibition. | 0:18:29 | 0:18:31 | |
-Congratulations. -Thank you. Thank you so much. | 0:18:31 | 0:18:34 | |
Congratulations, CJ. | 0:18:34 | 0:18:35 | |
Well, isn't that fantastic? | 0:18:35 | 0:18:37 | |
The two boys say yes, so CJ and her boyfriend's bottom are off to the exhibition. | 0:18:37 | 0:18:43 | |
I'm standing by that one. It's so visual and so ridiculous. | 0:18:43 | 0:18:46 | |
You are going to be standing by that. | 0:18:46 | 0:18:48 | |
I'm going to be nowhere near that. | 0:18:48 | 0:18:50 | |
So CJ made it through to the exhibition at the Royal College of Art, | 0:18:57 | 0:19:01 | |
where hopefully Wearing William | 0:19:01 | 0:19:03 | |
will tempt a buyer to part with their cash. | 0:19:03 | 0:19:05 | |
Now, she's chosen a guide price of £1,650. | 0:19:05 | 0:19:10 | |
And it seems it's making an impression. | 0:19:10 | 0:19:12 | |
CJ's work's amazing. | 0:19:13 | 0:19:15 | |
You don't often see 2-D plus 3-D all in one | 0:19:15 | 0:19:19 | |
and she's obviously talented in both. | 0:19:19 | 0:19:21 | |
I like it that, from talking to her, she's used her partner quite clearly | 0:19:21 | 0:19:27 | |
and he uses her in his work, and it's really kind of, | 0:19:27 | 0:19:30 | |
it's very intimate kind of sculpture, but it's really appealing. | 0:19:30 | 0:19:35 | |
If any of the guests at the exhibition | 0:19:35 | 0:19:37 | |
take a fancy to CJ's lifecast, | 0:19:37 | 0:19:40 | |
they must make a secret sealed offer to the independent sales agent. | 0:19:40 | 0:19:44 | |
Like any agent, they take a cut, | 0:19:44 | 0:19:47 | |
and if CJ makes a sale, she'll pay 10%. | 0:19:47 | 0:19:49 | |
Now, David's caught up with CJ and the inspiration for her piece, her partner Andre. | 0:19:49 | 0:19:55 | |
16 hundred and 50 quid is quite cheap for a piece of sculpture. | 0:19:55 | 0:20:00 | |
I'm discovering that, | 0:20:00 | 0:20:01 | |
just by looking around at the other prices in here, | 0:20:01 | 0:20:04 | |
but I am quite new to this. | 0:20:04 | 0:20:06 | |
We've always said we're like two genies stuck in a bottle | 0:20:06 | 0:20:09 | |
waiting for the right person to come and let us out, | 0:20:09 | 0:20:12 | |
let all this magic and creativity out. | 0:20:12 | 0:20:14 | |
We feel we've so much to give, and this is our chance. | 0:20:14 | 0:20:19 | |
Well, let's hope it's open sesame for you tonight. | 0:20:19 | 0:20:22 | |
So CJ's cheeky sculpture was certainly attention grabbing. | 0:20:23 | 0:20:27 | |
How was it for you? | 0:20:28 | 0:20:30 | |
Oh, it's been amazing, Chris. It's been so exciting. | 0:20:30 | 0:20:33 | |
My partner - who I normally work with, who is here in spirit - | 0:20:33 | 0:20:37 | |
and I have been invited to apply for quite a prestigious art institute | 0:20:37 | 0:20:41 | |
that's invite only, so normally that's a door that would be closed to us. | 0:20:41 | 0:20:45 | |
It seems that this programme may have given you the push, | 0:20:45 | 0:20:48 | |
the direction you were looking for? | 0:20:48 | 0:20:50 | |
It is a struggle making a living as an artist | 0:20:50 | 0:20:52 | |
and getting out there and opening... | 0:20:52 | 0:20:54 | |
pushing doors open, so maybe this will push open a few more. | 0:20:54 | 0:20:58 | |
It already has, so, you know, just watch this space, Chris. | 0:20:58 | 0:21:03 | |
CJ's work didn't sell on the night, | 0:21:05 | 0:21:08 | |
but appearing in our exhibition's opened up a whole raft of new opportunities. | 0:21:08 | 0:21:12 | |
-Let's hope those days of struggling are -behind -her. | 0:21:12 | 0:21:16 | |
Getting through to the exhibition is tough. | 0:21:24 | 0:21:26 | |
Remember, the judges are putting their reputations on the line. | 0:21:26 | 0:21:30 | |
The work that they put through to this exhibition will be seen | 0:21:30 | 0:21:33 | |
by their peers and collectors who may be looking to invest. | 0:21:33 | 0:21:37 | |
So let's remind ourselves exactly what the hanging committee are looking for. | 0:21:37 | 0:21:42 | |
Originality comes top of the list. | 0:21:42 | 0:21:46 | |
Winning work has to offer something more than a pale imitation. | 0:21:46 | 0:21:49 | |
Next up, it's technical skill. | 0:21:49 | 0:21:52 | |
Our artists have to prove they've mastered the basics. | 0:21:52 | 0:21:55 | |
And finally, to get through to our special exhibition, their work has to move the judges. | 0:21:55 | 0:22:02 | |
If it doesn't make an emotional connection, it won't be in the show. | 0:22:02 | 0:22:07 | |
London hosted several hanging committees. | 0:22:10 | 0:22:15 | |
And at the Art Workers Guild, we met recent graduate Will Kay. | 0:22:15 | 0:22:19 | |
He's ambitious and fully focused on his goal of becoming a successful professional artist. | 0:22:19 | 0:22:25 | |
For now he funds his artistic endeavours by working in a shop, | 0:22:25 | 0:22:29 | |
but one day he's convinced he'll make a living from his art. | 0:22:29 | 0:22:33 | |
He thinks this work showcases his unique style. | 0:22:33 | 0:22:38 | |
Welcome to the hanging committee. Would you introduce your work, please? | 0:22:41 | 0:22:46 | |
My piece is called Aglow Seahorse. | 0:22:46 | 0:22:48 | |
It basically contains all different types of art techniques, | 0:22:48 | 0:22:53 | |
which includes ink and bleach, acrylics, marker pens | 0:22:53 | 0:22:58 | |
and glow in the dark medium. | 0:22:58 | 0:23:00 | |
Could you tell us what price you put on your piece? | 0:23:00 | 0:23:04 | |
-30 grand. -30,000? -Wow. | 0:23:04 | 0:23:08 | |
Is that based on the fact that you've sold work before or that you don't want to sell it? | 0:23:08 | 0:23:14 | |
It's the fact that in about five, ten years from now | 0:23:14 | 0:23:18 | |
when I've become more of a household name and more famous, it will be a one-off piece. | 0:23:18 | 0:23:23 | |
-OK, have you sold any work before? -Yeah, I've sold illustrations before. | 0:23:23 | 0:23:27 | |
-For how much? -Highest one was about... | 0:23:27 | 0:23:30 | |
£8. | 0:23:30 | 0:23:31 | |
-£8? -£8. | 0:23:31 | 0:23:34 | |
Right. | 0:23:34 | 0:23:35 | |
There's a bit of a difference between eight and 30 grand. | 0:23:35 | 0:23:38 | |
Yeah, the reason for that because they were prints. | 0:23:38 | 0:23:41 | |
They were mass prints, that's why they were £8. | 0:23:41 | 0:23:44 | |
-Can we have a closer look at it? -Yeah, sure. | 0:23:44 | 0:23:47 | |
Will clearly believes in his own potential to make some cash. | 0:23:53 | 0:23:57 | |
But to get his work on sale at the Royal College Exhibition, | 0:23:57 | 0:24:00 | |
he's counting on the subjective opinion of our three judges. | 0:24:00 | 0:24:05 | |
Is there some wallpaper in there? | 0:24:12 | 0:24:14 | |
-It's in that section there and through there. -Right. | 0:24:14 | 0:24:18 | |
You've pulled up the pattern from the paper and you've gone over it, is that right? | 0:24:18 | 0:24:23 | |
I put ink over it first and I went with bleach. | 0:24:23 | 0:24:25 | |
-So bleach like it does on a dishcloth, it pulls the colour out. -Yeah. | 0:24:25 | 0:24:29 | |
You said it was a glow something or other seahorse. | 0:24:29 | 0:24:32 | |
Yeah, Aglow Seahorse. | 0:24:32 | 0:24:34 | |
Right. It looks like a duck to me. | 0:24:34 | 0:24:36 | |
A duck. | 0:24:36 | 0:24:37 | |
-It's not a duck! -It's a duck. | 0:24:37 | 0:24:39 | |
It's a seahorse, David. | 0:24:39 | 0:24:41 | |
It's a seahorse, David. | 0:24:41 | 0:24:42 | |
Put your glasses on. | 0:24:42 | 0:24:44 | |
It's a seahorse. | 0:24:44 | 0:24:45 | |
You value this work enormously, clearly, by the price you've put on it, £30,000. | 0:24:45 | 0:24:50 | |
It would take quite a long time to sell that with that sort of a price tag | 0:24:50 | 0:24:54 | |
when you don't have a well-recognised name that's building up to that. | 0:24:54 | 0:24:58 | |
Maybe doing prints of it? | 0:24:58 | 0:24:59 | |
Yeah. | 0:24:59 | 0:25:00 | |
Getting your name out there. | 0:25:00 | 0:25:02 | |
It's very important in building your brand and getting people to understand the work that you do. | 0:25:02 | 0:25:08 | |
Some constructive advice from Roy, but does Will's work meet the panel's criteria of originality, | 0:25:08 | 0:25:14 | |
technique and emotional impact? | 0:25:14 | 0:25:18 | |
-I've never seen bleach used so delicately before. -Oh, yeah? | 0:25:18 | 0:25:21 | |
It's not a nice medium to work in, I think, as a painter. | 0:25:21 | 0:25:26 | |
But that aside, I think as an artist it's good to develop a style | 0:25:26 | 0:25:29 | |
-you feel comfortable in, that expresses what you want... -Yeah. | 0:25:29 | 0:25:32 | |
..to communicate to the viewer. That's what's we're judging on, | 0:25:32 | 0:25:35 | |
whether a painting or a work has some emotional impact. | 0:25:35 | 0:25:38 | |
I'm afraid for me I can't... | 0:25:38 | 0:25:40 | |
I don't have any relationship with what you're painting. | 0:25:40 | 0:25:45 | |
This too much strikes me as William Morris on acid... | 0:25:45 | 0:25:49 | |
wallpaper design, graphics, but yet I don't feel the seahorse is there enough. | 0:25:49 | 0:25:56 | |
Charlotte and Roy are not impressed. How about David? | 0:25:56 | 0:26:00 | |
Originality...yes. | 0:26:00 | 0:26:03 | |
I haven't seen anything that is as blatant and brash and loud and coarse as that for a long time. | 0:26:03 | 0:26:10 | |
Technique... obviously, you're very deft. | 0:26:10 | 0:26:15 | |
Emotional involvement... I'm not won over by it, I have to confess. | 0:26:15 | 0:26:19 | |
Time for the vote. | 0:26:19 | 0:26:23 | |
Will needs at least two votes to be in with a chance of selling his work at the RCA. | 0:26:23 | 0:26:29 | |
Will, I'm afraid it's a no from me. | 0:26:30 | 0:26:33 | |
-Roy? -I'm afraid it's a no from me, Will. | 0:26:33 | 0:26:36 | |
My vote's immaterial, but it would have been a no, too. | 0:26:36 | 0:26:40 | |
Will, thank you very much for showing it to us and goodbye. | 0:26:40 | 0:26:43 | |
Thank you, Will. | 0:26:43 | 0:26:46 | |
Thank you. | 0:26:46 | 0:26:47 | |
Will, Will, Will, commiserations, sir, bad luck. | 0:26:50 | 0:26:53 | |
That was quite tough! | 0:26:53 | 0:26:54 | |
Yeah, it was. | 0:26:54 | 0:26:56 | |
I mean, it wasn't what they wanted, but I've got a talent and I'll keep doing what I'm doing. | 0:26:56 | 0:27:02 | |
Some of the judges said you have technical skill, | 0:27:02 | 0:27:05 | |
that you are showing imagination. Do you think you'll change your style? | 0:27:05 | 0:27:08 | |
I think I'll kind of keep doing what I feel comfortable with, | 0:27:08 | 0:27:15 | |
but I do believe what I submitted was good, but wasn't their cup of tea. | 0:27:15 | 0:27:22 | |
-I love your style, I love your confidence and I wish you the best of luck in the future. -Thank you. | 0:27:22 | 0:27:27 | |
-Good luck, sir. -Bye. | 0:27:27 | 0:27:28 | |
In London's Foundling Museum, we set up amongst works by some of the 18th century's finest painters, | 0:27:36 | 0:27:43 | |
an intimidating setting for a face-off with the judges. | 0:27:43 | 0:27:48 | |
Full-time artist, Stephen Bishop, is self-taught. | 0:27:48 | 0:27:52 | |
He's already selling his work, but a place at our exhibition | 0:27:52 | 0:27:56 | |
would give him much wider exposure to potential buyers. | 0:27:56 | 0:27:59 | |
He is eager to get some feedback on his painting entitled Dissolving. | 0:27:59 | 0:28:04 | |
Stephen, welcome to the hanging committee. Would you like to tell us about your beach scene? | 0:28:08 | 0:28:13 | |
This is to do with children on a beach | 0:28:13 | 0:28:16 | |
and a sense of time and movement and heat and light. | 0:28:16 | 0:28:21 | |
I've also referenced in the top corner there | 0:28:21 | 0:28:26 | |
some archive photographs of children actually on a beach from, say, 1910. | 0:28:26 | 0:28:30 | |
What do you value your work at? | 0:28:30 | 0:28:32 | |
I value my work at £1,600 for this piece. | 0:28:32 | 0:28:35 | |
Can we have a closer look? | 0:28:35 | 0:28:37 | |
Yeah, please do. | 0:28:37 | 0:28:38 | |
It's a little bit different. | 0:28:47 | 0:28:49 | |
It's all been painted with a palette knife. | 0:28:49 | 0:28:52 | |
Is it good enough for the exhibition? | 0:28:52 | 0:28:54 | |
These almost abstract seeming elements where there are blocks | 0:28:56 | 0:28:59 | |
of geometric shapes instead of brush strokes that look like a person... | 0:28:59 | 0:29:04 | |
Yes, there are. | 0:29:04 | 0:29:05 | |
..which takes a bit of reading to piece together what's happening. | 0:29:05 | 0:29:09 | |
It does take time. Some of the blockiness comes out of the use of palette knife | 0:29:09 | 0:29:13 | |
and just the fact that I enjoy kind of geometric shapes. | 0:29:13 | 0:29:17 | |
I actually really enjoy that method of working. | 0:29:17 | 0:29:19 | |
Yes, I'm slightly worried by the preponderance of shapes | 0:29:19 | 0:29:24 | |
which are completely out of focus for me. | 0:29:24 | 0:29:27 | |
But what I do get out of this very strongly was the idea that you can look into the past | 0:29:27 | 0:29:34 | |
and you can't quite see it as clearly as you once did, | 0:29:34 | 0:29:37 | |
and I got that very strongly from that figure on the right hand side. | 0:29:37 | 0:29:42 | |
But you've lost what you were doing in a lot of paintwork | 0:29:42 | 0:29:45 | |
around the bottom half of that painting. | 0:29:45 | 0:29:48 | |
I like the bottom left part of the canvas. | 0:29:48 | 0:29:50 | |
I'd quite like to see you go more in that direction. | 0:29:50 | 0:29:53 | |
I'd like to see less. | 0:29:53 | 0:29:55 | |
Hm, the panel are all interpreting Stephen's work differently. | 0:29:55 | 0:30:01 | |
But how does it measure up to our criteria? | 0:30:01 | 0:30:04 | |
Stephen's hoping for a tick for his self-taught technique, but will the judges oblige? | 0:30:04 | 0:30:08 | |
I'm really torn because technically I think you have some ability, | 0:30:11 | 0:30:16 | |
but emotionally, not quite one camp or another for me. | 0:30:16 | 0:30:21 | |
I rather like the nostalgic, elegiac theme of yours. | 0:30:21 | 0:30:26 | |
It appeals to my backward-looking nature. | 0:30:26 | 0:30:29 | |
What I don't like about it and where I think you can improve greatly | 0:30:29 | 0:30:33 | |
is in the touch of your painting. | 0:30:33 | 0:30:36 | |
I find it very crude in a lot of places, especially in the sea, which could be the sky. | 0:30:36 | 0:30:41 | |
Stephen, for me, I think these styles coming together, it's a little bit of a car crash. | 0:30:41 | 0:30:47 | |
I'm not kind of after doing perfection in painting in terms of brushwork. | 0:30:47 | 0:30:51 | |
I want power of emotion, and if that's come across, I'd be really pleased about that. | 0:30:51 | 0:30:57 | |
It's crunch time. | 0:30:57 | 0:30:59 | |
To get the chance to sell his painting and establish his work with a wider audience, | 0:30:59 | 0:31:03 | |
Stephen needs two yes votes. | 0:31:03 | 0:31:07 | |
Stephen, it just falls short for me. | 0:31:10 | 0:31:13 | |
It's a no, sorry. | 0:31:13 | 0:31:15 | |
David. | 0:31:15 | 0:31:18 | |
-It was very nearly a yes, but I'm afraid it's no. -OK. | 0:31:24 | 0:31:28 | |
It just misses the mark. I don't think the elements have come together enough, | 0:31:28 | 0:31:32 | |
so it's a no from me. | 0:31:32 | 0:31:33 | |
Well, thank you very much for your time. | 0:31:33 | 0:31:35 | |
Thank you for showing it to us. It's a meaty picture that we all got something quite well, so thank you. | 0:31:35 | 0:31:42 | |
-Bye. -Bye-bye. | 0:31:42 | 0:31:43 | |
-Stephen, Stephen. -Hi, Chris. | 0:31:50 | 0:31:52 | |
-Commiserations. Sorry about that. -These things happen. | 0:31:52 | 0:31:55 | |
I understand where each of their kind of views are coming from. | 0:31:55 | 0:31:58 | |
It's been a valuable experience for me. | 0:31:58 | 0:32:01 | |
I'm sad that they decided it wasn't good enough to go through, but... | 0:32:01 | 0:32:05 | |
-I'm sorry it didn't happen today. -Thank you, Chris. | 0:32:05 | 0:32:07 | |
-But good luck for the future. -Thank you. Bye. -We'll see you next time. | 0:32:07 | 0:32:11 | |
Well, as you can probably tell, there's a real buzz at our exhibition today | 0:32:16 | 0:32:22 | |
with the movers and shakers of the art world having a good look around. | 0:32:22 | 0:32:26 | |
You can sense that the dealers and collectors are hoping to spot a bright new star. | 0:32:27 | 0:32:33 | |
At all our hanging committees, the standard of the work was exceptionally high. | 0:32:33 | 0:32:39 | |
In the end, it all comes down to the judging criteria. | 0:32:39 | 0:32:41 | |
Computer programmer Andrew Martin devoted all his spare time | 0:32:41 | 0:32:47 | |
to teaching himself the technique shown in this photograph. | 0:32:47 | 0:32:52 | |
What I like about this is it's a kind of abstract form. I like the mystery of it. | 0:32:52 | 0:32:58 | |
I do think similar things have been done before, but not in this way | 0:32:58 | 0:33:03 | |
and not with the meaning that you've brought to it. | 0:33:03 | 0:33:05 | |
Technically, it's lovely and emotionally, I am intrigued by this. | 0:33:05 | 0:33:08 | |
For amateur photographer Andrew, getting the judges' seal of approval would be a dream come true. | 0:33:08 | 0:33:16 | |
-Yes. -Yes. | 0:33:16 | 0:33:18 | |
It doesn't really matter what I say, but I think I'd say yes, too. | 0:33:18 | 0:33:21 | |
So, well done, Andrew. | 0:33:21 | 0:33:23 | |
Art student Sophia Kemp hoped to sell her poetry illustration at the exhibition. | 0:33:23 | 0:33:29 | |
This is something new I'm doing. It's more of an experiment. | 0:33:29 | 0:33:32 | |
We're looking for fine art. I think this is illustration. | 0:33:32 | 0:33:36 | |
On face value, art teacher Su Cloud's sculpture | 0:33:36 | 0:33:42 | |
of a giant poppy head seemed to have all the right elements. | 0:33:42 | 0:33:46 | |
I see that seeds are like time capsules and inside the time capsule | 0:33:46 | 0:33:52 | |
are these amazing thousands of possibilities. | 0:33:52 | 0:33:56 | |
Her technique certainly impressed Roy. | 0:33:56 | 0:33:59 | |
Your explanation about what it means is wonderful. | 0:33:59 | 0:34:02 | |
The skill and execution, I think that is there. | 0:34:02 | 0:34:05 | |
But in the end, was it unique enough to make the grade? | 0:34:05 | 0:34:08 | |
I think it's the kind of object I'm getting used to seeing at garden centres. | 0:34:08 | 0:34:15 | |
I have to say I haven't seen any in garden centres. | 0:34:15 | 0:34:18 | |
-Su, it's no, sorry. -OK. | 0:34:18 | 0:34:20 | |
With such stiff competition, the stakes were incredibly high for Lucy Ambrose, | 0:34:25 | 0:34:29 | |
when she met the judges at the Art Workers Guild in London. | 0:34:29 | 0:34:33 | |
-Lucy, welcome. -Hello. | 0:34:33 | 0:34:34 | |
How are you? | 0:34:34 | 0:34:35 | |
-I'm fine, thanks. -Where are you from? -Hove. | 0:34:35 | 0:34:38 | |
A little bird tells me you've been an artist all your life, | 0:34:38 | 0:34:41 | |
but you're just waiting to burst out. | 0:34:41 | 0:34:44 | |
I've always been interested in art. It's always been in the background | 0:34:44 | 0:34:48 | |
and I've decided I had to just go for it and follow my ambitions. | 0:34:48 | 0:34:53 | |
What was the turning point for you? | 0:34:53 | 0:34:55 | |
Ten years ago I had cervical cancer, | 0:34:55 | 0:34:58 | |
which I was very lucky to be caught very early, | 0:34:58 | 0:35:01 | |
but it was the kick up the backside I needed to just get on with my life | 0:35:01 | 0:35:04 | |
and do something that really mattered to me, and art really matters to me. | 0:35:04 | 0:35:08 | |
-So where are we now? Are you working full-time in the art world or are you...? -I wish I was. | 0:35:08 | 0:35:12 | |
I finished my MA last September and I'm currently working as a part-time shop assistant | 0:35:12 | 0:35:17 | |
because you've got to get money from somewhere while you're starting. | 0:35:17 | 0:35:20 | |
You're going to be selling your piece in front of three judges | 0:35:20 | 0:35:23 | |
trying to convince them they're good enough for the exhibition. | 0:35:23 | 0:35:27 | |
How about that experience, because face-to-face criticism can be tough. | 0:35:27 | 0:35:31 | |
It can be, but I'm quite used to that having gone through the educational system, | 0:35:31 | 0:35:35 | |
because we have regular critiques of the work. | 0:35:35 | 0:35:38 | |
What would it mean to get to that exhibition? | 0:35:38 | 0:35:40 | |
It would mean the absolute world because it would validate | 0:35:40 | 0:35:44 | |
the educational experience I've been through. | 0:35:44 | 0:35:46 | |
-OK, I wish you the very best of luck. -Thank you. | 0:35:46 | 0:35:48 | |
-And your judges await. -Right. -Through those doors. Good luck. -Thank you. | 0:35:48 | 0:35:53 | |
In order to realise her lifelong dream | 0:36:01 | 0:36:03 | |
of becoming a full-time artist, | 0:36:03 | 0:36:05 | |
Lucy desperately wants this place at our exhibition. | 0:36:05 | 0:36:09 | |
Now, everything depends on this ink on paper work | 0:36:09 | 0:36:12 | |
called Alternative Version. | 0:36:12 | 0:36:14 | |
-Hello, Lucy. -Hello. -Welcome to the hanging committee. | 0:36:21 | 0:36:25 | |
Could you tell us about your work, please? | 0:36:25 | 0:36:27 | |
This is part of a series of work that I've been doing about escapism, | 0:36:27 | 0:36:31 | |
because I like to feel that I'm drawing a complete | 0:36:31 | 0:36:37 | |
parallel universe. | 0:36:37 | 0:36:40 | |
Um... | 0:36:40 | 0:36:41 | |
Sorry, I'm just drying up here. | 0:36:42 | 0:36:44 | |
No, don't worry, just take your time. | 0:36:44 | 0:36:46 | |
It's a world that I would like to live in a lot of the time | 0:36:46 | 0:36:50 | |
because I've had a lot of pressures in my life at different times | 0:36:50 | 0:36:53 | |
where I've wanted to escape completely - | 0:36:53 | 0:36:56 | |
dead end jobs, this, that and the other. | 0:36:56 | 0:36:58 | |
Big release for me has been to sit and work on a piece like this | 0:36:58 | 0:37:02 | |
with masses of detail | 0:37:02 | 0:37:03 | |
and just lose myself in a completely different world. | 0:37:03 | 0:37:06 | |
-How much would you sell it for? -Whatever I could get for it, to be honest! | 0:37:06 | 0:37:10 | |
-I've given a sort of rough figure of about £500 for this. -OK. | 0:37:10 | 0:37:14 | |
-Could we take a closer look? -Yeah. -Thank you. | 0:37:14 | 0:37:16 | |
If shop assistant Lucy does get through to the Royal College exhibition, | 0:37:18 | 0:37:22 | |
it might be the first step towards making a living from her art. | 0:37:22 | 0:37:27 | |
But first she has to satisfy the judges. | 0:37:29 | 0:37:32 | |
What medium is it, Lucy? | 0:37:35 | 0:37:37 | |
It's ink and ink washes, Tipp-Ex, | 0:37:37 | 0:37:40 | |
anything I could get that works white on black paper. | 0:37:40 | 0:37:43 | |
-ROY: -This building, this location, is there a specific meaning? | 0:37:43 | 0:37:46 | |
It's actually from Chichester. Most of my drawings are from places in Sussex. | 0:37:46 | 0:37:50 | |
I like the way it wraps around the viewer. | 0:37:50 | 0:37:52 | |
It's almost like you're looking at it through the end of a milk bottle. | 0:37:52 | 0:37:56 | |
The perspective on the left wraps round a bit | 0:37:56 | 0:37:59 | |
and the tiles on the roof on the right again wrap round a bit | 0:37:59 | 0:38:01 | |
and the perspective in walls and the bricks in different ways. | 0:38:01 | 0:38:04 | |
Nothing goes the way you necessarily need it to go. | 0:38:04 | 0:38:08 | |
-DAVID: -Those are peculiar characteristics | 0:38:08 | 0:38:11 | |
of what used to be pejoratively called naive painting, | 0:38:11 | 0:38:15 | |
the fact the perspective doesn't work, | 0:38:15 | 0:38:19 | |
there's an obsessive attention to detail. | 0:38:19 | 0:38:22 | |
Every slate and brick is a different colour, | 0:38:22 | 0:38:24 | |
I noticed when looking at it, | 0:38:24 | 0:38:25 | |
and obviously you're extending the length of time | 0:38:25 | 0:38:28 | |
you can escape into the work. | 0:38:28 | 0:38:29 | |
While I'm doing the work I'm escaping, | 0:38:29 | 0:38:32 | |
and I'm just getting lost in what I'm doing for hours on end | 0:38:32 | 0:38:36 | |
and I come out in a much happier place. | 0:38:36 | 0:38:38 | |
-That's terrific. -It's sort of therapy as well. -Yes. | 0:38:38 | 0:38:42 | |
Well, the judges have seen lots to interest them in Lucy's work. | 0:38:43 | 0:38:47 | |
But they must make their decision based on originality, | 0:38:47 | 0:38:50 | |
technique and emotional impact. | 0:38:50 | 0:38:53 | |
Is it original, what you're doing? It's very peculiar to itself. | 0:38:53 | 0:38:57 | |
Technique, I found it a bit sloppy. Emotional involvement... | 0:38:57 | 0:39:03 | |
..I'm intrigued by it, yes. | 0:39:05 | 0:39:07 | |
-ROY: -I find a lot of the details fascinating. | 0:39:07 | 0:39:10 | |
I find the story around it, the way it encapsulates you very interesting and very new. | 0:39:10 | 0:39:15 | |
I think you are trying to do the things that your style is naturally doing, | 0:39:15 | 0:39:19 | |
so it's a bit clunky in parts and wrapping round us, and I think that's intentional. | 0:39:19 | 0:39:24 | |
I think it is original. I would never have said this was from Sussex, this view. | 0:39:24 | 0:39:27 | |
I've never seen Sussex look like that. | 0:39:27 | 0:39:30 | |
So, we're going to take it to a vote | 0:39:30 | 0:39:32 | |
as to whether your painting should be in our exhibition at the Royal College of Art. | 0:39:32 | 0:39:37 | |
Where's this one going? I have absolutely no idea. | 0:39:37 | 0:39:39 | |
The judges are intrigued, they're really interested in her raw talent. | 0:39:39 | 0:39:43 | |
But her future rests on the judges' decision. | 0:39:43 | 0:39:46 | |
This is a mammoth opportunity for Lucy to reach collectors | 0:39:48 | 0:39:52 | |
and start earning an income from her passion. | 0:39:52 | 0:39:55 | |
David, yes or no? | 0:39:55 | 0:39:58 | |
Yes. | 0:40:05 | 0:40:08 | |
Roy, yes, or no? | 0:40:08 | 0:40:09 | |
Yes. | 0:40:12 | 0:40:14 | |
Well, Lucy, it's three yes-es, so congratulations. | 0:40:14 | 0:40:18 | |
-Thank you. -It is going in the exhibition. And we look forward to seeing it. | 0:40:18 | 0:40:22 | |
Speechless. | 0:40:24 | 0:40:26 | |
-Cheerio. -Bye-bye. | 0:40:27 | 0:40:29 | |
An ecstatic Lucy is now over the first hurdle and at the exhibition | 0:40:34 | 0:40:38 | |
and her eye-catching picture has caught some interest. | 0:40:38 | 0:40:43 | |
I like the dark windows where you have no idea what's going on inside | 0:40:43 | 0:40:46 | |
but there's light coming off the buildings. | 0:40:46 | 0:40:48 | |
Lovely. I like it very much, yeah. | 0:40:48 | 0:40:51 | |
Lucy's fixed her guide price at a modest £500, | 0:40:52 | 0:40:57 | |
but will someone like it enough to put an offer in to the independent sales agent? | 0:40:57 | 0:41:01 | |
So, Lucy, how have you found it so far tonight? | 0:41:03 | 0:41:06 | |
-It's been a really interesting evening. -Yeah. | 0:41:06 | 0:41:09 | |
I've talked to a lot of different people, and just looking round at all the other things | 0:41:09 | 0:41:13 | |
because I hadn't seen any of the other pieces. | 0:41:13 | 0:41:15 | |
-How do you find their work? -Lovely. I mean, it's a diverse collection of works. | 0:41:15 | 0:41:20 | |
Are you hoping for a few offers today to pay for the materials? | 0:41:20 | 0:41:22 | |
Absolutely. If I manage to sell this I'll get out of my overdraft, | 0:41:22 | 0:41:27 | |
and that would be a wonderful thing to do at this point. | 0:41:27 | 0:41:29 | |
That's a good way for any collector to know they're really helping an artist. | 0:41:29 | 0:41:33 | |
Yes. It really would be helping me. | 0:41:33 | 0:41:35 | |
-That step out of the overdraft. Always important. -Absolutely, yes. | 0:41:35 | 0:41:38 | |
So will Lucy's bank manager | 0:41:38 | 0:41:40 | |
be pleased with how the exhibition's gone? | 0:41:40 | 0:41:43 | |
Time to find out. | 0:41:43 | 0:41:46 | |
If she's received any offers above her guide price of £500, | 0:41:46 | 0:41:50 | |
she must sell to the highest bidder. | 0:41:50 | 0:41:52 | |
Although the agent takes a 10% cut, the rest is all hers. | 0:41:52 | 0:41:56 | |
Lovely to see you, Lucy, and your work here at the RCA. How was it for you? | 0:41:57 | 0:42:02 | |
Really good. It's just been such a kick having a picture in this exhibition. | 0:42:02 | 0:42:06 | |
Every time I looked round you had a massive smile on your face. | 0:42:06 | 0:42:11 | |
-Tell me about the people you met. -Well, I mainly met the other artists. | 0:42:11 | 0:42:15 | |
I was hoping to make contacts with galleries and suchlike, | 0:42:15 | 0:42:18 | |
but I mainly talked to the other artists. | 0:42:18 | 0:42:20 | |
So no-one said "You know what, I really fancy this?" | 0:42:20 | 0:42:22 | |
-I'm afraid not, no. -That doesn't sound very good. -No, well... | 0:42:22 | 0:42:26 | |
-We'd better deal with the money. -Yes. | 0:42:26 | 0:42:28 | |
You wanted £500 for this piece. | 0:42:28 | 0:42:30 | |
That seems very reasonable, doesn't it? | 0:42:30 | 0:42:32 | |
It is, but then I'm an unknown artist and I'm being realistic. | 0:42:32 | 0:42:36 | |
-We had an offer. -Ooh. -One offer. | 0:42:36 | 0:42:38 | |
One offer. | 0:42:38 | 0:42:40 | |
-It was £700. -Wow! | 0:42:40 | 0:42:44 | |
-Well done! -Yes! | 0:42:44 | 0:42:47 | |
-How did that feel? -Wonderful! wonderful, I don't have to drag it home. It's wonderful! | 0:42:47 | 0:42:52 | |
-Well done. -Yes! -Well, I am so pleased for you, | 0:42:52 | 0:42:54 | |
-and I'll let you say goodbye to your piece, cos it's going. -Goodbye, piece. | 0:42:54 | 0:42:59 | |
Go out into the world and be happy. | 0:42:59 | 0:43:02 | |
-Yes! -Well done! Look at you! Yeah! | 0:43:02 | 0:43:05 | |
Lucy's picture is sold, and for £200 over her guide price, | 0:43:07 | 0:43:12 | |
a wonderful endorsement for her bold decision to follow her dream. | 0:43:12 | 0:43:16 | |
Well, that's about it for today but join us next time on Show Me The Monet, | 0:43:19 | 0:43:23 | |
where the judges could give an artist a chance of a lifetime. | 0:43:23 | 0:43:26 | |
See you then. Goodbye. | 0:43:26 | 0:43:27 | |
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd | 0:43:47 | 0:43:51 | |
E-mail [email protected] | 0:43:51 | 0:43:54 |