A Muscular Jesus Stars in Winning $25,000 Mandorla Art Award Winner

THE AUSTRALIAN
By Bridget Cormack

"Palm Sunday" by John Paul

AUSTRALIA---Victorian artist John Paul won the prize for Christian-themed art with his gouache and pastel drawing Palm Sunday.  He and the other entrants were asked to take inspiration from the theme "born of a woman" from St Paul's letter to the Galatians. Judges Rod Pattenden, Rachael Kohn and Annette Pedersen said Palm Sunday dealt with the text in "an unexpected way".  "As Jesus rides into Jerusalem, his side curls signalling his Jewishness, a young woman at his side brings the emotional and physical connection to women into a contemporary context," they said. This year the prizemoney for the Mandorla award was raised by $5000 and is now worth more than the $20,000 Blake Prize, regarded as Australia's most prestigious prize for religious art. [link]