On January 22nd, at the award ceremony of the 7th NTDTV Realist Portrait Painting Competition, American artist Ken Young was awarded the silver prize for his painting “Touchstone.” He expressed his gratitude and honor for winning the competition, stating that he participated in the contest because he resonated with its principles and now feels immensely privileged to be recognized.
“I am extremely excited and honored. I am very grateful for the opportunity to participate in such a grand competition,” Young said after receiving the award. “I intend to introduce this competition to all my artist friends and encourage them to participate as well.”
Young mentioned that the NTDTV competition showed him a “hope,” which is that “they are restoring traditional painting and returning to the brilliance of the past.” According to Young, the standard of “beauty” is set by the Creator; the significance of classical realist painting lies in “guiding people to appreciate what He has done for us and to be grateful.”
Having started painting in 1971, Young has over half a century of experience. He submitted two works for the competition, both focusing on spiritual themes.
“I create with the purpose of sparking contemplation in the viewer’s mind,” he said.
Identifying himself as an optimist, Young believes in the inherent goodness of human nature and aims to evoke kindness in people’s hearts through his art. However, he acknowledges that some individuals suppress this kindness due to various reasons, such as political or racial pressures, leading them to do things they may internally recognize as wrong but feel compelled to follow their religious or political leaders.
“We all have this struggle within us. So, my art is about awakening the inherent goodness in people’s hearts, hoping to awaken them to say, wait, no, this is not right,” Young stated.
Young explained that his award-winning piece “Touchstone” seeks to remind people through its portrayal of himself contemplating in front of a sculpture of Martin Luther in Germany, holding a Bible, reflects a period of his life experiences.
Having devoutly served in a church for 40 years, Young found discrepancies between the teachings he read in the Bible and those imparted by the religious leaders, prompting him to question thus leading to the creation of the painting in response to his experience.
In Young’s view, realism in painting enables viewers to see what the artist has painted and involuntarily recognize the presence of the Creator, as He is portrayed in some way in depicting human nature, revealing our essence as humans and mirroring the beauty of creation, similar to how a baby is formed in the womb without human intervention, which he considers the essence of realism.
Young emphasized the significance of the NTDTV competition, which he found to focus on a higher level combining “beauty” with “spiritual elements,” conveying messages that prompt deep reflection and emphasize gratit…