The King has a new portrait

[YaMuvva]

Maybe it’s because I know nothing about art but my initials thoughts are…”Huh”

From the artist:
"It was a privilege and pleasure to have been commissioned by The Drapers' Company to paint this portrait of His Majesty The King, the first to be unveiled since his Coronation. When I started this project, His Majesty The King was still His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, and much like the butterfly I've painted hovering over his shoulder, this portrait has evolved as the subject's role in our public life has transformed. I do my best to capture the life experiences and humanity etched into any individual sitter's face, and I hope that is what I have achieved in this portrait. To try and capture that for His Majesty The King, who occupies such a unique role, was both a tremendous professional challenge, and one which I thoroughly enjoyed and am immensely grateful for."

I like it, it’s a big painting and probably looks amazing in real life. The butterfly is a bit too cute for me but I do get the message behind it and the idea that schoolchildren in 200 years time will get what this King cared about.

It’s nice, but it also sends the message that he literally fades in to the background….?!

I’m currently reading some sci-fi and a character got blasted by a spaceship engine and was splattered all over another character. “Nothing to bury” kind of death.

Just saying. 😬

That is cool

I like it all right. Royal portraits are interesting. In the past some have been quite controversial. All that pink's interesting.

All I can see is this

Do you remember when Rolf Harris painted the Queen and made her look like she eats children for breakfast?

I think this new portrait will grow on me, his face is scarily accurate

I think it's a good reflection of all those years he was Prince of Wales before becoming King. The butterfly, the uniform, he looks like himself, I'd call it traditional with a twist which I think is reflective of his approach monarch.

And Camilla said it captured him which is a nice compliment.

I really like it. It actually looks like Charles - some recent portraits have not been that wonderful - this is good

It's certainly different!

Where's his sausage fingers?

I think it's amazing. So visually striking. It captures him really well.

There've been more than one which weren't thoroughly admired! When I was very young there was an Annigoni (sp?) portrait of her. I can't precisely bring the Rolf Harris one into my mind's eye but I can look it up soon. I remember the programme about him painting it - before we knew more about him.

Looks like a Klimt.

I was impressed with his hands, although they are a bit more flattering, they are so hard to paint. I remember a portrait of the late Queen which made her look as if she had flesh coloured rubber gloves on.

I am no art aficionado, but I love it. I imagine it will be all the more impressive 'in the flesh'.

It's the same artist, Jonathan Yeo, who also painted Camilla.

I really like it too.

I'm not sure about the colour but I do like his face in it.

Though nothing for me will ever come close to Freud's QEII, which is so brilliant, six o'clock shadow, expression of stoical boredom and all.

I like it. The style is something I could love on my wall , but perhaps with a different model

I find it surprising that I have such a strong reaction to this portrait, but I really love it.

Terribly flattering of his face, could be a decisive man in his mid 50s. As for the "figure emerging from a welter of blood and gore" ground it probably does look better in the flesh.

Maybe it's a reference to the bloody history of the monarchy like those renaissance pictures where the guy's holding a compass or a telescope.

Rolf Harris’s painting of QE2 😬😬

The red just makes me think it's lots of blood!