A new portrait of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, is drawing mixed reactions online from the royal fans. Just one week ago a portrait of her father-in-law, King Charles III was released and faced a similar response from the people.
Art critics have condemned the new portrait of Britain’s Princess which was meant to capture her courage and dignity. But social media users poked fun at the canvas, questioning the likeness.
The painting by British-Zambian artist Hannah Uzor is “honouring the courage and dignity of the Princess of Wales”, two months after Kate announced she had begun cancer treatment.
Title and Inspiration and details of the portrait
The new portrait, titled ‘The Princess of Wales – A Portrait of Strength and Dignity’, can be seen on the July cover of Tatler magazine.
View this post on Instagram
Uzor, a British-Zambian artist, took inspiration from Kate’s cancer diagnosis video message to the nation. The image also depicts the princess at the first state banquet of the King’s reign, which took place in 2022. Not only was it the first state visit hosted by the UK with King Charles III as monarch, it was the first state visit to the UK by a South African leader since 2010.
For the occasion, Kate wore a gorgeous white gown designed by Jenny Packham. The Princess of Wales accessorised with Queen Mary’s Lover’s Knot Tiara, a favourite of the late Princess Diana. These outfit details can be seen in Uzor’s new painting of the Princess of Wales.
Kate’s portrait is set against a green-blue background – a nod to Kate’s eye colour and the experience of being in a garden and on water, reflecting the princess’s love of rowing, Uzor said.
The princess did not sit for the portrait and Uzor researched photos of her to inform her work, saying she had found more than 189,000 images of Kate in a picture archive.
Uzor’s description about the portrait
The artist expressed her admiration for the princess, who has stepped away from the public spotlight while she undergoes chemotherapy.
Asked whether the princess’s recent cancer diagnosis video gave her a new perspective, Uzor said: “Without a doubt. All my portraits are made up of layers of a personality, constructed from everything I can find about them.”
“She has really risen up to her role – she was born for this. She carries herself with such dignity, elegance and grace,” Uzor added.
The painter, based In St Albans in England, is like Kate, a mother of three, and added: “I sense with her the joy of motherhood.”
Criticism on the social media over the portrait
Social media users poked fun at the canvas, questioning the likeness of it. The brand new portrait received backlash from the royal fans, who claimed that it “looks nothing like her”.
One asked, “Is this a parody?”, while another wrote, “That is never the princess, that is another woman in her dress”, and others branded it “dreadful”.
🎨A extremely #unusualportrait of Kate, #PrincessofWales was chosen by #Tatler for its July issue.
This portrait was painted by British-Zambian artist @HannahUzor #PrincessCatherine #KateMiddleton #FutureQueen #PrincessofWalesreturn pic.twitter.com/kXQOCxeMst— Agedor.art (@agedorgallery) May 22, 2024
The Telegraph’s chief art critic Alastair Sooke called the depiction “egregiously, intolerably, jaw-hits-the-floor bad”, asking: “Has there been a flatter, more lifeless royal portrait in living memory?”
A fourth X user wrote, “Are you kidding me?” while another said: “Oh heck, I know art is subjective but it looks nothing like the Princess of Wales.”
Another X user praised Uzor’s style, saying: “Love the artist… she’s very stylish”. But they added: “The painting, while lovely… doesn’t look like the Princess of Wales…”
Princess’ cancer announcement
In March, Princess Kate recorded a video from Adelaide Cottage to announce she had begun a course of preventative chemotherapy.
In the video, she said: “In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous. The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present.
“My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”
The Princess of Wales continued: “This of course came as a huge shock, and William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family. As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment.
“But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.”
“As I have said to them; I am well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirit. Having William by my side is a great source of comfort and reassurance too. As is the love, support and kindness that has been shown by so many of you. It means so much to us both.”
READ MORE: https://usateller.com/taylor-swift-is-rumoured-to-join-the-marvel-cinematic-universe-as-dazzler/
