(Above) Richard Wright, no title 2009. Courtesy the artist; Gagosian, London; The Modern Institute / Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow and BQ, Berlin. © the artist. Photo: Sam Drake and Gabrielle Johnson, Tate Photography
In what could be termed another surprising triumph for painting and traditional art forms, the Scottish artist Richard Wright has won the 2009 Turner Prize with a piece he created using medieval painting techniques.
Announced tonight at Tate Britain by Poet Laureate Carol Anne Duffy, the 41-year-old artist scooped the £25,000 first prize ahead of the bookie's favourite, Roger Hiorns, with a highly intricate gold-leaf painting across one wall of the gallery.
Hiorns, along with Enrico David and Lucy Skaer, will receive a consolation prize of £5,000.
Wright's painting is reckoned to be the artist's most complex and ambitious composition to date and, in common with much of his ephemeral output, the Baroque-influenced work will be painted over at the end of the exhibition in early January 2010.
After making his way to the podium, an uncertain looking Wright thanked his supporters, his friends, family and Tate before adding simply, "I have nothing grand to say, just thank you. That's all I’ve got to say."
He later admitted to feeling "shocked" but "very good", before briefly explaining his technique as "Medieval". "I just start from the most elementary drawings and I draw and extend the drawing," he said.
Judges were evidently swayed by the results of this painstaking and lengthy process. Wright and his team of four assistants took four weeks to create the golden work using their traditional methods. Combined with the inevitably short life span of the piece, the work's ephemeral nature adds a sense of poignancy to proceedings.
(Above) Roger Hiorns, Untitled 2008. Courtesy the artist and Corvi-Mora, London © the artist. Photo: Sam Drake and Gabrielle Johnson, Tate Photography
Earlier in the evening, during his opening address, Tate Director Nicholas Serota hailed the 25th Turner Prize exhibition as "one of the most successful" before taking the opportunity to reflect on the importance of the arts and culture at a time of economic uncertainty.
"Here attendance is up, theatres are full and the current cultural enterprises across the country thrive," he said.
"In a period of uncertainty we become more reflective and we look to the arts to give us insights into our selves and to learn about relationships with one another. The work of individual artists is more important than ever."
Warming to the theme, Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy added her voice to idea of the regenerative power of the arts.
"More than ever we need artist's unique perspectives in the enormous challenges facing us," she said.
"On the relationship between environmental issues and our changing universe, artists make a vital contribution in the way that they continually question and re-examine society's notions of progress."
