The Sacrifice of the Model is a contemporary take on a 17th century painting for the highly renowned Archibald Prize by Mertim Gokalp. The painting, following Caravaggio’s The Entombment of Christ composition, reflects Gokalp’s classical training in his early years, when he idolised Caravaggio to the point of getting this very painting tattooed to his arm. However, Gokalp’s version is not just a replica or a copy, it is a referral to today’s art-scene and a criticism of all the artists, including Gokalp himself, on how much is sacrificed…

The model used in The Sacrifice of the Model, being held/worshiped by a bunch of renowned, Archibald Award finalist artists, has no name, the sacrifice does not know name. While some artists fear the death of the model in the composition, one is only concerned with her modern day narcissism. The true figure with true sadness is the mother, or from a Caravaggio-point-of-view Virgin/Holy Mary, embodied by the artist’s wife in Gokalp’s painting, perhaps because she knows true sacrifice and the true price/worth for the arts.

Doug Moran Portrait Prize Finalist 2015