Portrait of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
Portrait of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge | |
---|---|
Artist | Paul Emsley |
Year | 2012 |
Type | Portrait |
Location | National Portrait Gallery, London |
Portrait of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is the first official portrait of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (who later became Catherine, Princess of Wales). It was unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery, London, on 11 January 2013. Paul Emsley was commissioned to paint the Duchess after being selected from a shortlist by Catherine herself. Catherine had announced the National Portrait Gallery as one of her official patronages in January 2012.[1] Emsley took 15 weeks to complete the painting, which was presented to the trustees of the gallery in November 2012. The Duchess, contrary to considerable criticism in the art world, highly praised the portrait after viewing it initially in a private family gathering.
Description
Portrait of Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge is the first official portrait of the Duchess.
The Duchess sat for him twice—for a day's session in May at the artist's studio in
The process took him 15 weeks with the portrait completed before November 2012, when it was presented to the trustees of the gallery.
Reception
The portrait divided critics, seen in a negative light by many.
Royal Society of Portrait Painters president Alistair Adams suggested that there "are no airs and graces, there's no background context to allude to success or power – it's very much on a level of one to one with the viewer. It's quite natural, it's open, it's straightforward and very pure – it's immediate and not overly sentimental."[6] Stephen Deuchar, director of The Art Fund, called it a "captivating contemporary image".[6]
References
- Hello. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 11 January 2012.
- ^ a b Jones, Bryony (11 January 2013). "Duchess of Cambridge's first official portrait unveiled". CNN. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Royal portrait artist: Duchess of Cambridge is a 'wonderful sitter'". The Daily Telegraph. London. 11 January 2013. Archived from the original on 12 January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Kate portrait: First official painting revealed". BBC. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ^ a b c "Kate portrait artist Paul Emsley: 'I tried my best'". London: BBC News. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
- ^ a b c d "Kate portrait: First painting gets mixed reviews". London: BBC News. 11 January 2013. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
- ^ Glover, Michael (11 January 2013). "Michael Glover: Paul Emsley's Duchess of Cambridge portrait is catastrophic". The Independent. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
- ^ Higgins, Charlotte (11 January 2013). "Kate's portrait – straight from the Twilight franchise". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
- ^ Eaton-Lewis, Andrew (11 January 2013). "What is so wrong with Kate's portrait?". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 15 January 2013.
- ^ a b Güner, Fisun (12 January 2013). "Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, National Portrait Gallery". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 12 January 2013.