King Charles III’s First Official Portrait Was Completed Within A Tight Deadline
King Charles III did not sit for his first official portrait as the new monarch. Another fact, potentially for the history books: The oil painting was finished in two weeks.
Alastair Barford, an artist and former scholar of the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship Trust, was commissioned to paint the King within just a fortnight, which was a much shorter timeframe than the three-month deadline he had been given when he was previously tasked to create a portrait of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
The image portrays His Majesty in a modern, navy pinstripe suit with a pink tie and pocket square. The royal is also accessorized with a bracelet gifted to him by Amazon indigenous leader Domingo Peas during a global diversity event at Buckingham Palace in February, and its appearance in the artwork is a subtle nod to the King’s love of nature and sustainability efforts.
The portrait debuted on the cover of the special Coronation edition of the Illustrated London News magazine.
What’s especially interesting about the process is that, instead of painting in front of the monarch, Barford chose to observe the Head of the Commonwealth while he was moving around and engaging with guests at the reception.
The painter gave the royal a “sympathetic” expression to reflect the “warmth and empathy” that he had picked up from the King during his interactions with those at the palace.
With no time to waste, the artist also referred to photographs from the biodiversity event to tie loose ends.
He tells the Art Newspaper that the rushed deadline made him feel guilty whenever he was not working on the painting. The tight time frame also created new stresses, like having to wait for the oil paint to dry before he could continue the project and finish the work in time.
[via The Art Newspaper and Tatler, images via Illustrated London News]
