No, they can be quite boring but King Charles III's latest picture has made many see red.
Why is that?
Um, well it IS very red. Very, very red, which prompted one critic to wonder if the King's "grandkids helped colour it in with crayons".
If it's not been painted by one of his grandchildren, who did paint it?
It was created by respected artist Jonathan Yeo and depicts the king in the bright red uniform of the Welsh Guards against a red background. The portrait also shows a red butterfly hovering over his shoulder. According to the artist, the tiny butterfly symbolises the king's initiatives relating to environmental protection.
How did Jonathan Yeo get the job?
It wasn't via this ad dreamed up by one wag. Wanted: painter for official portrait of His Majesty King Charles. Must have prior portrait experience. Ability to make painting a portal into the nether realm and a conduit for millennia old evil non essential but desirable.
So what have people been saying?
Predictably the portrait caused a storm on X (Twitter).
Do X people like it?
It's fair to say it's had mixed reviews. Apart from its artistic merits there have been a few conspiracy theories raising their ugly heads.
Like what?
One said that copying, pasting and flipping the portrait reveals a sinister face resembling Baphomet, the deity associated with the Knights Templar. He was depicted as being half-human, half-animal with a goat-like head and was originally drawn by French occultist Eliphas Levi the 1800s.
So it wasn't universally appreciated on X, I take it.
No, here's one post: "King Charles new portrait is absolutely fecking hideous, looks like he is burning in hell." Here's another: "... it's also quite obviously the cursed painting containing the souls of a million dead."
SOMEONE liked it, surely.
Oh yes, it's had many positive comments. Here's one: "Actually think this is a fucking brilliant portrait. And an amazing likeness of him. I feel like I can see his dad and even his uncle in there a little bit."
What did the King himself think of it?
He's made no official comment but it seems Queen Camilla likes it. She reportedly looked at the painting and told Yeo, “Yes, you’ve got him.”
Look at this:
Here's her other book: Not So Sweet Toffee
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I like it (I think). His face and hands are human and warm while all the trappings of life blur into the background of red, whatever that particular color represents.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking exactly like Strayer. lol He looks so serene.
ReplyDeleteI think I agree with the portal to hell comments. It's kind of a big red mess. But, who knows? Things that people hate in the moment end up being appreciated far in the future, where those people wonder what the fuss was about when it was made.
ReplyDelete