On Jan. 15, the 6th NTD International Figure Painting Competition (NIFPC) convened, with an exhibition of 60 paintings from 54 finalists at the Salmagundi Club on Fifth Avenue and 12th St.
Works will be on display through Jan. 19. As a competition highlighting traditional painting, the works were required to be done in oil paint and showcase a mastery of the human figure.
Attendees of the opening ceremony included artists who had participated several times and newcomers alike, such as Alexandra Telgmann from Germany, who had heard about the NTD International Figure Painting Competition just last year.
"This competition is focusing on beauty, which is what I love about it-the beauty of humanity and
the beauty of art," she said. "I love that there will be a new, increased awareness for this kind of art, and also for the artists."
Ms. Telgmann felt the event was a rare and precious thing. In Germany, she explained, the focus in on abstract art, which leaves her few platforms to share her work.
A specialist in ocean scene painting, Ms.Telgmann submitted a work featuring her daughter swimming in the North Sea. To hold a beautiful pose under water is no easy feat, she explained. Luckily, Ms. Telgmann's daughter is a trained ballerina with the strength to hold herself with as much poise underwater as on stage. The artist took some 800 photos while following her daughter underwater, capturing various moments of light, bubbles, breath, and movement to later harness in a still painting meant to evoke the calm motion of the living ocean.
"There are a lot of different opinions about art in society. For me, it is to show beauty, kindness, and increase with it an awareness for nature, the human person, and breath, to create a moment in time that's special," she said. "There's a lot of things that are not so nice in the world. So on the other side, we need people to show beauty again, because this is what people are longing for."
Mr. Telgmann was moved to tears upon reading founding jury member professor Kunlun Zhang's preface to the competition, which was posted near the exhibition's entrance. Catherine Yang NTD / The Epoch Times
