Regretfully, Mr. Yeo has received a harsh response on social media. The most popular comment on X was a succinct but sharp criticism, reading, “It is the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen.”
When Charles removed the black cloak and saw the red King emblazoned on it, he seemed to have a small panic attack. Queen Camilla reportedly nodded to Mr. Yeo and said, “Yes, you’ve got him.”
His Majesty is depicted in the portrait clutching a sword and dressed in the red Welsh Guards uniform, with a butterfly hovering over his shoulder.
It makes sense that his clothing would be painted red, but what’s most shocking is that Charles’ head is the only piece of normal color in the entire painting.
Art these days is subjective. There are countless books about intricate metaphors that are hidden beneath a paintbrush’s stroke, with pieces that can have different meanings for different people.
Here are some insightful ideas and insights that the Charles artwork has sparked on social media:
One thought, “It looks like he’s burning in hell.”
Another person commented, “This new King Charles portrait looks like the poster for a truly terrifying horror movie.”
“What the heck is this mess?” inquired another art enthusiast.
“Nearly satanic,” declared a fourth.
“I really like the portrait of King Charles by Jonathan Yeo – the go-to artist for slightly edgy but convincingly recognisable contemporary portraits,” commented a user with a slightly more measured critique. “Before photography, to have a great painter capture your real appearance you accepted the revelation of your flaws and your mortality,” the user wrote. This is what Yeo manages to capture.
As Nigel Farage, the host of GB News in the area, presented the news, he called the picture “remarkable.”
The King’s face and head are visible from the portrait, with the uniform virtually disappearing into the background.
To put it mildly, it’s unusual, but I kind of like it. It is distinct.
In order to commemorate the then-Prince of Wales’ 50 years as a member of the nonprofit organization The Drapers’ Company in 2022, Mr. Yeo was hired to paint the portrait back in 2020.
The canvas’s dimensions, which when framed measure about 2.6 by 2 meters, were carefully chosen to complement the paintings that it will eventually hang next to and blend in with Drapers’ Hall’s architectural design.
“His Majesty the King was still His Royal Highness when I began this project.” The Prince of Wales, and this portrait has changed as the subject’s role in our public life has changed, just like the butterfly I painted hovering over his shoulder,” Mr. Yeo said.
King Charles’s first official portrait has been revealed, painted by renowned artist Jonathan Yeo.
King Charles has unveiled the first completed official portrait of himself since the Coronation at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday afternoon – a striking rouge image of the monarch in military uniform.
British contemporary artist Jonathan Yeo was behind the painting, which was commissioned in 2020 to celebrate the then Prince of Wales’s 50 years as a member of the Drapers’ Company in 2022.
Yeo’s previous works include a painting of the late Duke of Edinburgh and the Queen – when she was the Duchess of Cornwall – as well as other famous figures such as Sir David Attenborough.
Charles is wearing the uniform of the Welsh Guards in the large oil painting, which measures an impressive 8.5 by 6.5 feet framed.
The size was carefully considered to fit within the architecture of Drapers’ Hall and the context of the paintings it will eventually hang alongside.
King Charles unveiled his first official portrait this afternoon (Image: Royalrota)
The painting is also steeped in symbolism, with a monarch butterfly – one of the most endangered in the world – depicted above the King’s shoulder.
Yeo made a few words after the King unveiled the portrait and spoke of the butterflying echoing Charles’s metamorphosis from prince to King during the process.
The 75-year-old King is depicted in the red painting wearing the Welsh Guards uniform. The artist responsible for the portrait is Jonathan Yeo. Since the King’s coronation in May of last year, this is the first official portrait.
The artwork, which will be displayed in London’s Draper’s Hall, depicts Charles brandishing a sword while a butterfly flutters over his shoulder.
Portrait of King Charles
According to Jonathan, it was an honor and a pleasure to accept The Drapers’ Company’s commission to paint this portrait of the King, which is the first to be revealed since the King’s coronation.
“When I began this undertaking, His Majesty The monarch remained His Royal Highness. The Prince of Wales, and this portrait has changed along with the subject’s role in our public life, just like the butterfly I painted hovering over his shoulder.
Photo: ITV News
“I hope that is what I have achieved in this portrait,” he continued. “I try my best to capture the life experiences and humanity etched into any individual sitter’s face. For His Majesty the King, who has such a special role, to try and capture that was both a great professional challenge and something I really enjoyed and am very thankful for.