First Prize 2025

Eleanor Johnson

Slick With Olive Oil

Jackson's Art Prize 2025
Oil
Canvas
150 x 225 cm

“This painting is part of a series done in response to Ovid’s ‘Metamorphoses’. I’ve been drawn to this poem for many years, not only for its themes of transformation but also for its dream-like atmosphere. I’m inspired by the hypnagogic state in my own work and try to evoke a feeling of ambiguity, uncanniness and fluidity. It’s title, ’Slick with Olive Oil’, is a direct quote from the myth of Hyacinthus as described in the poem—referring to the scene where the two lovers, Apollo and Hyacinthus, play discus, their bodies slick with oil and glistening in the sun. This quote served as a jumping-off point to explore themes of male masculinity, physicality, and sexuality. The painting reflects the transformation of Hyacinthus’ flesh into the hyacinth flower, connecting the human body with nature. The bodies I’ve depicted wrestle, tumble, and bend in a way that is supposed to feel both absurd and playful, blurring the line between play and aggression—much like play-fighting between friends that tips into seriousness. The hands reaching up at the top of the painting echo the way flowers stretch toward the sun, drawing a parallel between human and natural transformation as seen in the poem itself.”