“Condolence” by Patrick Devonas
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Swiss-born American symbolist Patrick Devonas has done okay in competition with this moving painting, done on the first anniversary of the terrorist attacks, though taking second place in the landscape category of the First International ARC Salon Competition (careful: ARC Salon is a registered trademark) pocketed him a mere $500, a tenth of the top prize, which went to Daniel Gerhartz’s very romantic, very old-fashioned “Hind’s Feet”. That’s to be expected of the Art Renewal Centre.
But “Condolence” has had plenty of play on the Internet, primarily among Mormon-friendly websites and art contests. Devonas, 41, is a Latter-Day Saints Church-goer, which is neither here nor there except that it makes him a large fish in a small pond, so he gets plenty of attention that he might not otherwise.
Did that sound too snarky? We’re all supposed to be trying to get along better now.
