New series of Portrait Artist of the Year

Thanks for reminder will let DH know new series has started I don't watch but he enjoys it.

Thanks for the reminder LG. It’s repeated tonight so I’ll watch it then.

I thought Eva Langret made an excellent addition to the judging panel for the last series of Landscape so I shall look forward to hearing what Jonathan Yeo and Katy Hessel have to say too.

I did think Chloe Barnes portrait of Hannah Fry in last year’s PAOTY owed something to Yeo’s work with one colour dominating.

I can recommend. Hessel’s Story of Art without Men, similarly Kathleen Soriano’s Madam & Eve.

I shall miss the old judges but it’s probably time for a change after so many years.

An exciting line up of models and the prize to paint Damian Lewis for the National Portrait Gallery.

www.skygroup.sky/en-gb/article/portrait-artist-of-the-year-returns-to-sky-arts-with-an-all-new-judging-line-up-and-a-sensational-roster-of-celebrity-sitters-on-7-october

Thanks! I'm going to catch up with this asap.

So what did people think of the one that won this week? I thought the standard was very high.

I wouldn't have chosen the winning portrait, but that said, I rarely do.

A TV lesson in how to slide in a completely new group of judges without any fuss, outrage or condemnation. I doubt if Fb is full of people expressing their indignance and threatening to boycott the programme

There were some cracking submissions - the young boy did a brilliant one - but a lot failed to translate into the four hour portrait.

I didn’t like the winning artists submission either. Maybe we need to see the paintings in the flesh.

I would have been disappointed if Stephen wasn’t in it. I never really understand why some of these programmes have to have a so called funny person in them but it works well in this.

A TV lesson in how to slide in a completely new group of judges without any fuss.

Agreed! Seamless.

Without wishing to give too much away about the heat winner, I preferred the other of the two portraits of that person but we don’t get enough time to look at them, see them in real life or learn why the judges chose one over the other.

I notice they have changed the format slightly so we no longer see the judges picking their final three - not that it ever gave much away apart from back views of the canvases. I’d like to hear how they whittle down nine into a final three.

Interesting that the artists often seem to struggle to paint people who are classically beautiful. Is it because their faces are too “bland” and less interesting?

I still marvel at just how good the paintings are considering they are done under such time pressure, under the glare of the cameras and with all the people milling around behind.