Why does it look like he is engulfed in an inferno?
The first official portrait of King Charles since his coronation has been unveiled at Buckingham Palace.
British artist Jonathan Yeo, who has painted Prince Philip, Sir David Attenborough and Tony Blair in the past, created the vast oil on canvas portrait.
The painting shows a larger than life King Charles in the traditional red uniform of the Welsh Guards.
The glaringly red picture measures about 8ft 6 inches by 6 ft 6 inches and depicts the King with sword in hand and a butterfly landing on his shoulder.
According to BBC News, Queen Camila is said to have looked at the portrait and told Yeo: “Yes, you’ve got him.”
As expected, the overly and unashamedly red backdrop sparked a lot of jokes and criticism online.
One X user tweeted, “Who approved King Charles III’s new portrait cuz it looks like he’s in hell?!” Others said it looked like the royal had accidentally wandered into in the fiery pits of Dante’s inferno.
King Charles has unveiled the first official portrait of himself since his coronation.
— Graham Allen (@GrahamAllen_1) May 14, 2024
It is the ugliest thing I have ever seen…
pic.twitter.com/yzKOcIfCy5
Another user wrote: “Anybody else find the new portrait of King Charles III incredibly disturbing and off-putting?”
The reaction online is probably not the feedback Jonathan Yeo wanted after the 3 years it took for him to paint it at his London studio — which also included 4 sit-downs with Charles himself.
Speaking at the unveiling, the 53-year-old said: “If this was seen as treasonous, I could literally pay for it with my head, which would be an appropriate way for a portrait painter to die – to have their head removed!”
King Charles’ portrait in all its fiery glory will be on display at London’s Philip Mould Gallery for a month-long exhibit. After that, it’s off to the historic Draper’s Hall, once owned by none other than King Henry VIII himself.
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