The recent unveiling of King Charles III’s first portrait as King has seen much backlash. The portrait, created by Jonathan Yeo, depicts the King in a Welsh Guards uniform that fades into the deep red of the background while a butterfly lands on his shoulder. The controversy around this portrait focuses heavily on the choice of red, with its symbolic meaning being easily misconstrued. Some viewers see the red as the bloodshed and colonialism of the royal family. Others see it as satanic in nature. However it is viewed, King Charles III’s portrait is not the first portrait of a prominent figure to receive backlash in the last few years.
Former President Barrack Obama received quite a bit of backlash when he chose artist Kehinde Wiley. Wiley had a previous series that depicted black women holding the decapitated heads of white women. After the portrait was revealed, it received further backlash as many thought it was too abstract and that the leaves and flowers as his background were confusing.
Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s portrait was also controversial because many viewers believed that it did not look like her, while others contested that it did, in fact, look like her. The artist Amy Sherald’s work exemplifies black people and the black experience, and she was chosen by Michelle herself.
Now, King Charles is not the only one in the royal family to have had controversial portraits. Queen Elizabeth II’s portrait by Lucian Freud received backlash almost immediately. With comments like the one by Robin Simon, Editor of the British Art Journal: “It makes her look like one of her corgis who has suffered a stroke. It is a huge error for Lucian Freud. He has gone a portrait too far.” The artwork depicts the Queen’s face and accentuates the lines, almost emphasizing her age. It has been reported that the Queen particularly liked the photo and enjoyed watching Freud mixing his colors.
What do you think? Do you love or hate these portraits?
The discourse that follows a controversial portrait is a core intention of contemporary portraiture. We hope to evoke ongoing discussion, requiring a breadth of opinions. These examples have certainly done that, and continue to. It seems that the attention all goes to the nebulous thing we call “Backlash,” but just as these paintings are greeted with reprehension by a loud group, they are also appreciated by, likely, many more. History will reveal whether they are great.
Also, this webpage is forcing all caps. I am not a shouter.