Identity,Community & Action
Lasallian Newsletter
Lasallian Tercentenary Art Prize
For all Lasallians, worldwide, 2019 has been a special year as we marked the Tercentenary of the Entry into Eternal Life of our Founder, St John Baptist de La Salle, that is, 300 years since the death of St John Baptist de La Salle.
The Tercentenary Year provided us with opportunities to reflect on and celebrate our past, imagine and create a future filled with hope, while living in the present moment in the presence of God.
To honour this significant milestone, we initiated the St John Baptist de La Salle Art Competition.
The artwork theme was:
“St John Baptist de La Salle – the man, his life, and the mission”
and the set criteria was to create:
- An original 2D piece that expressed a characteristic of St John Baptist de La Salle, or interpreted a key episode in his life.
- Attention to topic, interpretation, creativity, complexity, nuance and technique formed part of the judging criteria.
- Plus a 100 word ‘Artist Statement’ was also to be provided.
The winners of the various prizes were:
The Years 10 - 12 Senior Prize of $300 – Jason Sison, Year 12
The Years 7 – 9 Junior Prize of $150 – Tait Bennett, Year 7
The Overall Peoples’ Choice Prize of $100 – Jason Sison, Year 12
Jason Sison titled his painting, Lasallian Vision. He wrote:
For the artwork theme of “St John Baptist de La Salle – the man, his life, and the mission”. I wanted to highlight the impact of St John Baptist de La Salle’s teachings and values has had on Lasallian communities across the world, even 300 years after his death.
- The artwork has been created in a pop art style with a minimal colour pallet. I chose this style as it presents the artwork to be contemporary, which is representative of how St John Baptist de La Salle has been influential since the 1600s to present.
- I included a yellow star in the piece, as it is very symbolic. The star is used all around the world in many different Lasallian communities. It’s the sign of faith and the symbol of the La Salle Brothers. It is linked to be a light and a guide for travelers, just as the three wise men followed the Bethlehem star towards Jesus.
- I adjusted the size of the star where it is cropped but can still be made out, and inside the star features a family of four. The family being in the star represents a Lasallian family of today, who have been impacted by St John Baptist de La Salle’s teachings.
- The star is seen going through St John Baptist de La Salle’s eyes, I did this as a way to display that the Lasallian community was created due to his great vison of the world.
For his piece, Tait Bennett wrote: My artwork is celebrating the Tercentenary of Saint John Baptist De La Salle.
In the painting, I have depicted Saint John Baptist De La Salle as the Patron Saint of teachers. I have tried to show him teaching and looking over the less fortunate children of his time, helping them to get the same opportunities as the wealthy students.
I have put lots of colour in the background to show that even if you are not as wealthy as others you still have hope. De La Salle wanted all young people regardless of their background to have an education.
“Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works. And in your teachings show integrity, dignity.”
[Titus 2:7]
Ria Greene
Deputy Principal
ICA