Credit: Simon Harsent
As a tonal realist, I believe my practice is not simply that of a portrait painter, but also that of a documentary maker. With each new portrait I’m presented with the challenge of how I can best describe the portrait subject in the painted medium. It’s not enough for me to paint a mere likeness - I examine additional attributes such as posture, hands and attire; my objective is to inject a narrative that showcases the individuality of the sitter. As I learn more about the person I am painting, I become inspired by our connection and conversations. This collaboration is integral to my work.
The role of ‘HANDS’ in developing character has become an important component in my artistic pursuit; the shape, form and function has led me to evolve further pieces with emphasis on hands alone. The Hand is an extension of personality; it has tremendous power to convey human emotion and it is through hand gestures and movements a story is created. Within my work I seek to represent the unique way our hands are used in communication and creative expression, how they symbolise cultural identity and portray ritual.
Anthropology argues the refinement of tool-making, which was facilitated by human’s physical adaptation of opposable thumbs, allowed for the development of language and knowledge. Aristotle defined the hand as the “tool of tools”, emphasising the importance of the hands in relation to human intellect and domination over nature. With their hands, humans have been able to create weapons, hunt, harvest, weave clothes, build houses, write laws, poetry and philosophy, and play music. Research in language evolution suggests hand gesture is hardwired into our physiology and may well be the oldest form of communication, and over the years, has come to reveal an unspoken language. When we gesture, we shape the language we speak, conveying ideas that language cannot always express.
Biography
Internationally acclaimed Australian Artist Evert Ploeg (pronounced Ay-vert Plough), won his first painting award at sixteen, and used his prize money to buy photographic dark room equipment; this would set the tone of his artistic life, wanting to record, capture and create.
Evert has an impressive seven major portraits in the Australian National Portrait Gallery, Canberra including a portrait of esteemed art collector, the late John Schaeffer OAM. His work is held in distinguished private and corporate collections such as the University of Melbourne, The Australian War Memorial and The Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Raised in Sydney with an Australian / Dutch heritage, Evert credits an early introduction to the Dutch master Frans Hals and his bold brushwork, with shaping his realist painting direction.
He graduated from Dress Design at East Sydney Technical College (now The National Art School), in 1984 and began a career in commercial illustration and publishing. National recognition was gained in 1997 when his portrait of the ABC’s beloved Bananas in Pyjamas was controversially rejected by the AGNSW’s Archibald Prize, however two years later he won its People’s Choice Award with a portrait of Australian actress Deborah Mailman. He continued his success again when he later won the Archibald’s Packing Room Prize and another People’s Choice win in 2007. He has won The Shirley Hannan National Portrait Prize and The Holding Redlich People’s Choice Award at The Salon des Refusés.
Internationally, Evert has twice been long listed in The BP Portrait Award in London, and has been awarded “Life Long Signature Status” by The Portrait Society of America in recognition of his many successes there, including the PSoA’s Best of Show, Certificates of Excellence and First Places in their various Members Only competitions.
In 2018 Evert was commissioned to paint two special pieces, a portrait of Mrs Tamara Fraser AO for The Australiana Fund and a portrait of Fred Hilmer AO, the latter forming part of the 20/20 Exhibition - a celebration of 20 years of The Australian National Portrait Gallery. Marking the 90th anniversary of Manly Art Gallery & Museum in 2020, the oldest regional gallery in NSW, Evert was invited to contribute to a unique ‘Portraits Project’ exhibition, with a self-portrait, to commemorate the event.
In addition to his commissioned work, Evert has for the past decade been involved with Australian arts and social change company, BighART. This relationship began in 2010, when he joined the cast of their highly acclaimed “Namatjira” theatre production. He has continued with projects in the Pilbara, WA and a short residency onboard a working oil tanker, painting crew members for a seafaring project entitled “Blue Angel”. A personal love of painting ‘hands’ and the importance they play in characterising his portraits has become a signature feature of Evert’s work, and eventually saw him commissioned by the Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors to create an award sculpture entitled The Infinity Award.
Evert’s early work often used ‘texture’ as a narrative to exemplify personality. Today we see a more painterly approach and use of expressive mark making, with a direct and sculptural application of paint to surface. It was this technique that saw him selected as one of only ten participants worldwide to face off in an Alla Prima portrait competition at Grand Central Atelier in New York in October 2015.
An advocate for solid draughtsmanship, classic painting techniques and working from life, he has conducted numerous teaching and workshop demonstrations. Evert lives and works in his self-built studio / barn with his family on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Collections
National Portrait Gallery of Australia – 7 works in permanent collection
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Trinity College - Melbourne Melbourne Grammar School
University of Melbourne - Faculty of Economics
The Australiana Fund – 1 work on long term loan to the National Portrait Gallery
CERA - Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital
University of Melbourne Law School
Australian War Memorial
St John Ambulance- Canberra – 3 works
Camberwell Grammar School – Victoria
Lauriston Girls School - Victoria
Melbourne Cricket Club MCC 2 works
Queens College, Victoria – 2 works
Australian Ballet School, Melbourne
Florey Institute, Melbourne Scotch College, Victoria Private Collections Aust, UK, Netherlands, Italy, Sweden & USA
For a full list of Awards and Credits, Exhibition History, Special Events and Media