Strewth: Scott Morrison brushed from 2020 Archibald Prize shortlist

The PM has been hung out to dry by Australia’s sketchiest critics ... but it’s a different story for those on the other side of the chamber.

Ross Townsend's portrait of Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Australia’s sketchiest critics have ruled — Albo is in, ScoMo is out.

The Once Upon A Time in Marrickville painting of Anthony Alban es e by local constituent and artist James Powditch has been shortlisted for the country’s most famous portrait award — the $100,000 Archibald Prize at the Art Gallery of NSW.

It’s the Labor leader’s first time being hung and Powditch’s sixth.

The silver Wiggle.

Sydney artist Charles Mouyat’s take on NSW Liberal Minister Matt Kean also made the cut.

With Kean sporting a Star Trek meets Wiggles tight silver skivvy and holding a burning waratah, it apparently reflects his duelling portfolios of energy and environment.

A missed opportunity for an all gums blazing koala, in our cultured opinion.

Other finalists include Craig Ruddy’s dark (emu) take on Bruce Pascoe, Wendy Sharpe’s comedy and tragedy of Magda Szubanski, Angus McDonald’s painting of Kurdish-Iranian refugee Behrouz Boochani and Nicholas Harding’s drawing of David Marr.

Archibald Prize 2020 finalist James Powditch’s Once upon a time in Marrickville

Wongutha-Yamatji man Meyne Wyatt is the first Indigenous winner in the Archibald’s 99-year-old history, taking home the $1500 Packing Room Prize for his self-portrait.

But the drop cloth critics passed on a portrait of the Prime Minister.

The stunningly accurate study of a suited Scott Morrison sitting in a white chair with a lopsided smile by Canberra artist Ross Townsend didn’t make the final 55.

We wonder … had the PM not waited so long to bail out the arts industry, would there have been a different result?

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Albanese’s art blanc

Powditch walked Strewth through his album cover-inspired artwork last month.

The Annandale based artist was originally too superstitious to chat; as his reps told us, there’s a vibe in the art world that doing press before the finalists are declared could kybosh your chances. But luckily this humble column broke that crusty curse!

“The inspiration for this one was that he did a set for Rage years ago before the 2013 election. Ten of those songs would be on my best of list,” Powditch explained.

He approached Albanese in January, and the pair managed to squeeze in a sitting early in March before the country went into COVID lockdown.

The album cover art work is chock-full of nostalgic music references.

Archibald Prize 2020 finalists

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The catalyst for the black and white headshot is a combination of 1980s records — New Order’s Low-Life and Lloyd Cole & the Commotions’ Mainstream.

In the bottom left corner there’s a graphic from New Order’s 1983 release Power, Corruption and Lies. “Which I would like to put on the record I believe the Labor Party fights against,” Powditch added.

The font used to write “Once Upon a Time in Marrickville” is an homage to Neil Young’s Harvest from 1972.

“In his shirt there’s some classic 1960s, 70s wallpaper from the flower power hippy movement … it could have been in a Marrickville house when (Albanese) was growing up,” Powditch said.

The Archibald Prize winner will be announced next Friday, September 25.

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ET phone home

Forget David Bowie’s dream of life on Mars — this week astronomers may have discovered aliens on Venus.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted: “Life on Venus? The discovery of phosphine, a by-product of anaerobic biology, is the most significant development yet in building the case for life off Earth. About 10 years ago, NASA discovered microbial life at 120,000ft in Earth’s upper atmosphere. It’s time to prioritise Venus.”

Yes, but is it COVID-free?

We have detected a gas called "phosphine" in the atmosphere of Venus, says @jgreaves6. This could point to the presence of life in the clouds of Venus. Their study is published in the journal Nature Astronomy and will be free to access today. #VenusNews

— Royal Astronomical Society (@RoyalAstroSoc) September 14, 2020

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The truth is out there

Which takes us back to question time in 1959 when Earl Cash, the Liberal member for Stirling, probed the minister for air about UFOs.

“Do the Australian and overseas air forces exchange information about the frequent sightings throughout the world of unidentified flying objects, usually known as UFO’s? Further, have Royal Australian Air Force intelligence officers investigated reports of recent sightings of mysterious objects in the skies over Papua and New Guinea?” Cash asked.

The truth is out there.

A question that will undoubtedly go down as one of the top five Dorothy Dixers in Australian politics.

Menzies government minister Frederick Osborne rose to the dispatch box to respond.

“The Department of Air does exchange with other air forces information about unidentified flying objects. It exchanges information with the Royal Air Force and, particularly, with the US Air Force, which maintains a study research group on this subject,” Osborne informed the house.

“All well-reported sightings in Australia and its Territories are investigated by the Department of Air. The objects generally turn out to be weather balloons, high flying aircraft, stars, comets and things of that sort.

“The statistics on this subject show that only a very small percentage — something like 3 per cent — of reported sightings of flying objects cannot be explained.

“I realise that in this age of technological mysteries it does not do to be sceptical about anything, but the honourable member may be interested to know that on the last occasion that I can recall on which a full-scale investigation was carried out into a sighting, which had taken place west of the Blue Mountains and had been reported by a number of people, the object in question was found to be the planet Venus setting.”

The more you know!

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Science periodically

Final word to the nerds at Scientific American.

It’s less than seven weeks from the first Tuesday in November when the US heads to the polls to decide whether to give Donald Trump another four years in the White House.

The monthly magazine has released this rare political editorial: “Scientific American has never endorsed a presidential candidate in our 175-year history — until now. The 2020 election is literally a matter of life and death. We urge you to vote for health, science and Joe Biden for President.”

Your vote matters!

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