As Australia's highest profile visual arts event there's always a good deal of politics in the choice of an Archibald winner. If this meant a magnificent work had been overlooked in favour of a politically correct one,it would be only the latest controversy in a competition that thrives on scandal.
Instead,Vincent Namatjira'sStand Strong for Who You Are,is a highly appropriate winner. This double portrait of the artist clasping hands with footballer Adam Goodes may be too loosely painted for those who insist on near-photographic precision,but it's a sincere and likeable image.
Stand Strongis not an angry picture but a call for everyone to feel proud and confident in their own skin. At a time when the world is becoming increasingly divided,Namatjira posts a simple,positive message about race and identity. If you're thinking this shouldn't be a consideration when it comes to picking the best painting,that would be an unrealistic expectation.
The majority of AGNSW Trustees are not art experts and are certainly not looking for the neatest,correctest portrait. With 1068 entries this year,the task of choosing a winner may have seemed daunting,but current events provide an unspoken set of guidelines.
Even before the finalists were chosen it was clear that it would take an exceptional painting to overturn the probability of an Indigenous winner.
That painting didn't turn up,although in another year,Wendy Sharpe might have ticked all the right boxes with her portrait of Magda Szubanski,which is bound to be a popular favourite,along with all those photorealist works,that hold an undying appeal for a general public still devoted to the spectacle of skill.