| Revision as of 12:39, 11 January 2013 editDr. Blofeld (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers, Template editors636,187 editsNo edit summary← Previous edit | Revision as of 12:42, 11 January 2013 edit undoDr. Blofeld (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers, Template editors636,187 editsNo edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
| ==Description== | ==Description== | ||
| Emsley, noted for his striking portraits was keen to capture Catherine's "charm, serenity and intelligence" and "sparkling green eyes".<ref name="DM">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2260655/Kate-Middleton-Rotten-official-portrait-Duchess-Cambridge-artist-Paul-Emsley-unveiled.html#ixzz2HfRSVdgZ|title='Fortunately, she looks nothing like that in real life': 'Rotten' first official portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge by artist Paul Emsley is unveiled|publisher='']''|date=11 January 2013|accessdate=11 January 2013}}</ref> It took him some 15 weeks to complete, using photographs. It shows Catherine wearing dark green looking straight out from the picture, smirking, rather than grinning. Emsley darkened the eyes slightly to match her tunic. According to Emsley, Catherine had asked her to be painted "naturally – her natural self – as opposed to her official self."<ref name="DM"/> Emsley also said, "I don't have lots of things in the background. I do like large faces, I find them strong and contemporary. I'm interested in the landscape of the face, the way in which light and shadow fall across the forms. That's really my subject matter. To have anything else in there is really just an interference."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20978904|title=Kate portrait: First official painting revealed|publisher=]|date=11 January 2013|accessdate=11 January 2013}}</ref> | Emsley, noted for his striking portraits was keen to capture Catherine's "charm, serenity and intelligence" and "sparkling green eyes".<ref name="DM">{{cite web|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2260655/Kate-Middleton-Rotten-official-portrait-Duchess-Cambridge-artist-Paul-Emsley-unveiled.html#ixzz2HfRSVdgZ|title='Fortunately, she looks nothing like that in real life': 'Rotten' first official portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge by artist Paul Emsley is unveiled|publisher='']''|date=11 January 2013|accessdate=11 January 2013}}</ref> It took him some 15 weeks to complete, using photographs.<ref name="BBC"/> It shows Catherine wearing dark green looking straight out from the picture, smirking, rather than grinning. Emsley darkened the eyes slightly to match her tunic.<ref name="BBC"/> Emsley was also keen to draw attention to the rich texture of her hair.<ref name="BBC"/> According to Emsley, Catherine had asked her to be painted "naturally – her natural self – as opposed to her official self."<ref name="DM"/> Emsley also said, "I don't have lots of things in the background. I do like large faces, I find them strong and contemporary. I'm interested in the landscape of the face, the way in which light and shadow fall across the forms. That's really my subject matter. To have anything else in there is really just an interference."<ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20978904|title=Kate portrait: First official painting revealed|publisher=]|date=11 January 2013|accessdate=11 January 2013}}</ref> The portrait was completed by November 2012, when it was presented to the trustees of the gallery.<ref name="BBC"/> | ||
| ==Reception== | ==Reception== | ||
| The portrait divided critics, receiving a mainly negative reception. Some critics believed that the shading below her eyes and her jawline aged her. ] of the '']'' described the portrait as "disappointing", and ] of the '']'' said "Fortunately, the Duchess of Cambridge looks nothing like this in real life. I'm really sad to say this is a rotten portrait."<ref name="DM"/> | The portrait divided critics, receiving a mainly negative reception.<ref name="BBC"/><ref name="DM"/> Some critics believed that the shading below her eyes and her jawline aged her. ] of the '']'' described the portrait as "disappointing",<ref name="BBC"/> and ] of the '']'' said "Fortunately, the Duchess of Cambridge looks nothing like this in real life. I'm really sad to say this is a rotten portrait."<ref name="DM"/> | ||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
Revision as of 12:42, 11 January 2013
Portrait of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is the first official portrait of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery, London on 12 January 2013. Paul Emsley was commissioned to paint the Duchess after being selected from a shortlist by Catherine herself.
Description
Emsley, noted for his striking portraits was keen to capture Catherine's "charm, serenity and intelligence" and "sparkling green eyes". It took him some 15 weeks to complete, using photographs. It shows Catherine wearing dark green looking straight out from the picture, smirking, rather than grinning. Emsley darkened the eyes slightly to match her tunic. Emsley was also keen to draw attention to the rich texture of her hair. According to Emsley, Catherine had asked her to be painted "naturally – her natural self – as opposed to her official self." Emsley also said, "I don't have lots of things in the background. I do like large faces, I find them strong and contemporary. I'm interested in the landscape of the face, the way in which light and shadow fall across the forms. That's really my subject matter. To have anything else in there is really just an interference." The portrait was completed by November 2012, when it was presented to the trustees of the gallery.
Reception
The portrait divided critics, receiving a mainly negative reception. Some critics believed that the shading below her eyes and her jawline aged her. Waldemar Januszczak of the Sunday Times described the portrait as "disappointing", and Robin Simon of the Daily Mail said "Fortunately, the Duchess of Cambridge looks nothing like this in real life. I'm really sad to say this is a rotten portrait."
References
- ^ "'Fortunately, she looks nothing like that in real life': 'Rotten' first official portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge by artist Paul Emsley is unveiled". Daily Mail. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Kate portrait: First official painting revealed". BBC. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2013.