Artist Anne Rothenstein, RWA Academician represented by Stephen Friedman, is a Visitor Choose for Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2025. On this interview, she discusses the transformative influence of gallery illustration on her profession, the bodily feeling that nice artwork evokes, and why originality and obsession are key to nice work.
Ready, 2023
Anne Rothenstein
Oil on wooden panel, 152 × 122 cm | 59.8 x 48 in
Interview with Anne Rothenstein
Josephine: Are you able to inform us just a little bit about your self and your creative observe?
Anne: I’m Anne Rothenstein and I’m a painter. I’d describe myself as a traditional painter in oils, however I’m untrained, so I’ve needed to educate myself how you can use oil paint and that’s been part of my entire observe. I paint on wooden as I don’t like canvas and I just like the grain of the wooden, which regularly comes into the work.
I come from a household of artists, however that doesn’t essentially inform my work. I ended portray for fairly a very long time and spent 10 years being an actress. So once I got here again to it, I used to be fully out of the artwork world and needed to begin instructing myself how you can paint once more. It’s been extraordinary, attention-grabbing, and thrilling. I’m nonetheless studying, who isn’t studying? I’m nonetheless very a lot within the throes of being enthralled by oil paint.
Unknown Territory 2, 2022
Anne Rothenstein
Oil on wooden panel, 150.2 × 123 cm | 59.1 x 48.4 in
Josephine: Are you able to inform us a couple of profession spotlight or any memorable moments as an artist?
Anne: I suppose an important profession spotlight I’ve had all through all of the years I’ve been working was when Katy Hessel got here for a studio go to. She then launched me to the Stephen Friedman Gallery, which fully modified my life. It form of all went from there, and being concerned with such a prestigious gallery has been an enormous step ahead.
Black Rocks and Clouds, 2024
Anne Rothenstein
Oil on wooden panel, 122 × 122 cm | 48 x 48 in
Josephine: What exhibitions or artists have impressed you during the last 12 months?
Anne: I went to see the Hew Locke exhibition on the British Museum final week, and I feel that’s an important exhibition that’s gone on this 12 months. It’s full of lovely issues and data that’s simply horrific. It’s mainly artifacts from the British Museum paired with plaques by Hew Locke. The plaques inform you the actual reality about how the artifacts have been looted and the place they have been looted from, however not in an aggressive means. Each college ought to go and go to it as a part of their historical past lesson. It was very affecting and I’m very happy I went.
The artist that I’ve discovered most inspiring this 12 months has been Rose Wylie. I actually admire her and I feel she is a terrific inspiration. Not simply to do together with her age, however as somebody who has fully adopted her personal path and has labored persistently. She was not influenced by what is perhaps trendy and actually simply caught to her weapons. The truth that she’s nonetheless so energetic in her 90s and had a beautiful show at Frieze, I feel she’s great.
Seated Determine, 2024
Anne Rothenstein
Oil on wooden panel, 182 × 152 cm | 71.6 x 59.8 in
Josephine: How essential or useful do you suppose awards and competitions are to artists right this moment? What makes competitors?
Anne: I feel competitions weren’t a part of my world, I don’t know what competitions existed once I did my basis course. Now they’re, however I’ve by no means received. Once I was taken on by my first gallery, I had no CV, and I nonetheless had no CV once I went to see Stephen Friedman. Again then there have been no levels or prizes or residences or all these issues that folks appear to want now to have a present. I’m ignorant about all of that as a result of it didn’t exist once I was younger, however I presume now they’re terribly essential as they maintain weight.
I feel the Royal Academy Summer season Present is a fairly great competitors, the pleasure it offers individuals who get accepted into the summer season present and with the ability to have a second on a wall is pleasant.
I don’t know a lot about competitions, however I’m certain they’re useful they usually give an unbelievable increase to the artist who wins the competitors. Typically it’s a raise, it’s publicity, it’s all of these issues. I feel it’s actually good that this competitors offers folks a spot to exhibit and to be concerned in one thing.
Josephine: Are you trying ahead to choosing the winner of your personal Choose’s Selection Award?
Anne: That is the primary time I’ve been requested to be a decide in a contest, and that is truly an amazing likelihood to have a look at quite a lot of up to date work. I’ve by no means been concerned in competitions so it’s going to be an attention-grabbing expertise to overview different folks’s work. I do not know what I’m going to be confronted with and I fairly just like the component of being stunned by one thing, being intrigued by one thing.
Blue Bed room, 2023
Anne Rothenstein
Oil on wooden panel, 120 × 90.5 cm | 47.2 x 35.5 in
Josephine: What is going to you be searching for amongst the submissions?
Anne: I received’t be judging any piece of artwork by way of any form of mental or educated type of observe. I wouldn’t take a look at a murals and suppose, “Gosh, how brilliantly skillfully bled that’s painted.” That doesn’t curiosity me. It could put me off. I’m not very eager on excessive talent and excessive approach as a result of I feel when you’ve obtained there, that’s barely the top of the journey. So what I’m searching for, or once I take a look at a bit of art work, my response to it’s a feeling, it’s a bodily feeling. If I don’t get any form of feeling, the work is just meaningless to me and I don’t get it. If you get that feeling, it’s fairly in contrast to anything and you may’t type of describe it.
I’d say that the only a few instances that I’ve felt a bit of labor of mine is working, I get a bodily feeling. That bodily feeling is what I search for once I’m taking a look at different work. It has to have its personal originality and its personal signature, however it’s not possible to say what I’d search for. I’ll search for the sensation that I get once I actually reply to a bit of labor. I’m hoping that I’ll reply on this approach to one thing that passes by on my display screen.
I like Andrew Torr’s portray, which received final 12 months’s Jackson’s Artwork Prize. It’s very authentic of him to color these estates and I really like that he’s obsessive about them. Obsessiveness can also be what I’m fascinated by. It’s obtained that odd eccentricity and also you’ve obtained to have that for those who’re going to be an artist. I feel you need to ship in a bit that you’re fully and totally not essentially pleased with, as a result of one’s not all the time pleased with work, however that it’s someplace alongside the road, one thing is true about it for you.
Purple Moon, 2023=2
Anne Rothenstein
Oil on wooden panel, 122.3 x 122.3 cm | 48.1 x 48.1 in
Josephine: What recommendation would you give to artists who’re fascinated about coming into Jackson’s Artwork Prize?
Anne: My essential recommendation can be to not be disillusioned and disenchanted for those who don’t win or make the shortlist and even the longlist. I feel it’s a totally arbitrary second in life and every decide may have a totally completely different opinion. They should agree someplace alongside the road and that will likely be an arbitrary selection in some methods as a result of they should.
I’d additionally say, you have to ship in one thing that you simply fully imagine in and never that you simply suppose the judges will reply to. In case you’re an artist, it is best to know what you’re feeling has labored by your personal requirements, by your personal ways in which you’re employed in, that one thing has occurred that you simply really feel has gone proper.
Watch our interview with Anne Rothenstein on Instagram
Additional Studying
How We Collaborate With Artists
Jackson’s Artwork Prize 2024 Exhibition on the Inexpensive Artwork Truthful
Artwork Truthful Guidelines for Artists
Skilled Recommendation on Making Your Manner as an Artist
Go to Jackson’s Artwork Prize web site
