In the British royal family, tradition and modernity go hand in hand. Recently, two portraits of members of the royal family were released to the public, which quickly set off waves on the Internet, not only pushing King Charles III and Kate, Princess of Kate, to the forefront of public opinion, but also making people once again focus on the artistic problem of how to capture the royal style on the canvas.
According to British media on May 23, Tatler, a well-known magazine, recently launched a series of portraits aimed at praising the demeanor of British royal family members, among which the most striking one is the portrait of Princess Kate painted by Hanna Uzor, a British Zambian artist. This work was chosen as the cover of the magazine, and was unveiled grandly.
What Uzor tried to fix was the classic scene of Kate's first state banquet after her father-in-law Charles III ascended the throne - wearing a dress designed by Jenny Parkham, the bracelet of the late Queen Elizabeth II and the earrings of Princess Diana. Each piece of jewelry carries the weight of history and the memory of the family.
Unusually, Uzor did not let Kate sit in the studio. She carefully selected more than 189000 photos to "capture her charm".
Uzor shared her art exploration process through video. She said that she wanted to convey Kate's "soul". For this reason, she deeply studied Kate's public image, from diplomatic visit to family life, to visit the children's hospice, to feel and understand the princess in an all-round way.
In the end, Uzor chose the Jenny Parkham dress that made her feel "very solemn and confident" as the dress in the painting.
When this work came into public view, it encountered a complex response.
Although some critics appreciate the beauty of the painting itself, they believe that it fails to accurately portray the image of Kate. "The painting is beautiful, but not like the Princess herself," said one netizen.
Other comments were more direct: "I can't understand this painting, and I can't find the shadow of the princess in any case."
These voices rise and fall on social media, reflecting the delicate balance between artists' subjective interpretation and audience expectations when artistic creation meets public figures.
Just a week ago, a portrait of Charles III triggered a similar discussion. This painting is customized for hanging in Draper Hall in London. Charles, wearing the uniform of the Weirs Guards, shows his identity as an honorary colonel of the regiment since 1975.
Unlike Kate's portrait, Charles's portrait has been meticulously created by the artist Jonathan Yeo for four times and two years, which has ensured the in-depth cooperation between the monarch and the painter.
Even so, the release of the portrait triggered mixed reviews.
Some people praised it as a "good breakthrough in tradition", but others objected to the bright red background and thought it was in conflict with the king's peaceful face.
"This picture makes him look like he is in hell," said one commentator sharply. Others expressed different opinions on color selection, showing the fine line between artistic freedom and public aesthetics.
These two royal portraits triggered different reactions, which raised interesting questions about the role of portraits in contemporary society.
In this era full of instant images, do we still expect art reproduction to restore familiar faces? In other words, portraits should be regarded as an interpretive lens, through which we can glimpse deeper things of the depicted object - emotions, personality traits, or some kind of spiritual resonance that is difficult to capture in photography?
Hannah Uzor's depiction of Kate emphasizes capturing the inner essence of the princess rather than merely copying her appearance, which is an answer to the above question. Charles in Yeo's works boldly adopts a red background, which may also be an attempt at a visual narrative to place the king in a bright and dramatic scene, symbolizing his strength as a monarch and the vitality of the transition of royal power.
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