First official portrait of King Charles by Jonathan Yeo revealed

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Buckingham Palace unveiled the first official portrait of King Charles III since his coronation on Tuesday, and it’s proving divisive with its lurid red brush strokes.

The painting, 8.5 by 6.5 feet, is by British artist Jonathan Yeo, who has painted high-profile subjects throughout his career, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, actress Nicole Kidman and activist educational Malala Yousafzai.

Yeo, who began the project when Charles was still Prince of Wales, depicts the monarch wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards, sword in hand, against a deep red background that seems to almost swallow him whole, like a butterfly that appears to be about to land. over his shoulder.

“Like the butterfly I painted floating over her shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the role of the subject in our public life has transformed,” Yeo said in a statement issued by Buckingham Palace.

“I do my best to capture the life experiences etched on each model’s face. In this case, my goal was also to reference the traditions of royal portraiture, but in a way that reflects a 21st century monarchy and, above all, communicate the deep humanity of the subject.”

Yeo had four sessions with the King and also worked from drawings and photographs according to the palace.

The work was commissioned to celebrate the 50th^th anniversary of Charles’ membership in The Drapers’ Company, which funds educational initiatives among other philanthropic efforts, and will be on public display from May 16 to June 14 at the Philip Mold Gallery in London. It will then hang in Drapers’ Hall from the end of August alongside other royal portraits.

The king and queen are reportedly happy with the portrait – Yeo said Camilla told the BBC: “Yes, you have it,” after seeing the result, while the monarch was “slightly surprised by the strong color, but otherwise seemed to smile with approval”, and there was no shortage of comments on social media . media.

Commenting under a post of the portrait on the royal family’s Instagram account, one user wrote: “with the uniform and that color it looks like (the) visual representation of the massacre caused by the colonizers,” and another said: “I love it.” I would have loved this if this was any color other than red. “It really captured her essence in her face, but the hardness of the red doesn’t match the softness of her expression.” Another post said: “Looks like he’s going straight to hell.”

Art historian Richard Morris said in It’s what Yeo captures here.”

Although the famous artist works mainly in oils, he has ventured into another medium: collage. In 2007, after a commission to paint former U.S. President George W. Bush fell through, he decided to make an “ironic tribute,” according to his website, combining clippings from hardcore pornographic magazines to create a portrait of the then-U.S. president. . a satire on “the supposed moral superiority of the far right in American politics.”

It was the first in a broader series depicting public figures “who are believed to have negotiated their sexual morality,” including Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sarah Palin, Silvio Berlusconi and British conservative activist Mary Whitehouse.

Regarding the king’s portrait, Yeo said on your website that the vivid colors of the glazes “not only resonate with the royal heritage found in many historical portraits, but also inject a dynamic, contemporary jolt to the genre with their uniformly powerful tone, providing a modern contrast to more traditional depictions” .

He added that the butterfly symbolized beauty and nature, while highlighting the king’s passion for the environment.

Yeo’s paintings are included in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery, London.

The king He is an artist himself.and a collection of his watercolors will be exhibited in London in 2022. He has previously described painting as “one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercises I know,” adding that it “refreshes parts of the soul that other activities can’t reach.”