The King's Portrait
Twitter (x) , meme gold and Camilla's reaction.....An analysis
First, we are not here to make fun of art, which is subjective and varies in taste and understanding levels. King Charles III has always been known for his impeccable taste and modern inclinations or what People magazine calls, groundbreaking! The word is most definitely used too liberally these days. The Daily Beast’s headline read “Burning in Hell” or “Very fine” then proceeded to describe the King’s first portrait since the coronation as a “ghoulish-looking red miasma”. The ever-reverential BBC labeled it “vivid red” while the Daily Mail described it as “fiery” (see below).
Image: Reuters
The large oil-on-canvas portrait, measuring 8ft 15in by 6ft 15in and created by the renowned painter Jonathan Yeo, features Charles in the garb of the Welsh Guards, holding a sword. Charles was appointed the Guards’ Regimental Colonel in 1975, with Prince William taking on the post in 2023.
The internet immediately responded and so did Royal Style Watchers “Why? Just Why?”, “Reminds me of the weird guy in Ghostbusters 2. He had a portrait like that (lol emoji)”, “That much red was a CHOICE”, many, many “yikes”, “the cover of a dystopian YA novel” and many others cannot be printed. Still, not all reviews by the RSW community were negative one member said “I like it, Picasso”, we’re guessing his Rose Period, right? , “It isn’t complimentary…although a magnificent work of art!”, “It’s bloody, cute though” Wink, wink we see what you did there.
Memes from Twitter (x) and of course one from Betche’s that has gone viral that you’re just going to have to Google.
The Cut’s Danielle Cohen went one step further into the symbolism of it all and asked why on earth he would choose red. Was it to associate himself with blood? The butterfly was Charles's recommendation to the artist on their fourth and final sitting because it represented “metamorphosis and rebirth” she likened to souls and the British Empire etc. She was not the only one to allude to colonial associations.
Analysis: The choice of color does make one wonder considering he is wearing a military uniform and it does not take much data analysis to conclude that many would associate the color with blood. As one comment read this was a choice. Why? One does not see Queen Elizabeth or even his son Prince William green lighting anything remotely near to this representation, and on that score, Charles should be commended for sometimes forging his path and being true to his vision.
The perfect review came from his wife, Camilla “Yes, you’ve got him”