Official Portraits of the Duke and/or Duchess of Cambridge and Family

[Dman]

I think it's pretty much accepted that not everyone will like the portrait. The artist was treated pretty badly though.

 

[Trillian]

Well Xenia, why is your opinion of the portrait the correct one ,while mine is not? We obviously have different perceptions and sense of aesthetics. I happen to like this rendering of the Duchess' likeness, you don't. That's the end of it. We have different taste in style.

 

[XeniaCasaraghi]

Well Xenia, why is your opinion of the portrait the correct one ,while mine is not? We obviously have different perceptions and sense of aesthetics. I happen to like this rendering of the Duchess' likeness, you don't. That's the end of it. We have different taste in style.

Where exactly in any of my posts did I say that my opinion was the right one? I've posted numerous times in this thread so I will leave it to you to go through them and find where I were said my opinion was right. I will never understand why certain people on this board feel the need to make up lies about what other posters have said or are feeling.
If you like the portrait fine! But don't belittle the opinions of those who don't.

 

[Anna Catherine]

I actually liked the portrait and thought the likeness was good. I feel bad because of the terrible things said about the artist. Press are vicious.

 

[hkittybaby]

Kate Middleton's painter Paul Emsley reveals he has secret portrait of the 'remarkable' royal

Kate Middleton artist Paul Emsley reveals he has another portrait of the Duchess. - helloonline.com

 

[AdmirerUS]

I've seen accounts where copies of the POW portraits were auctioned for charity at the request of His Royal Highness. Perhaps that had been thought of for this case. Just a guess.

 

[ghost_night554]

I kinda wish he hadn't said anything about the alternative painting now I kinda wanna see it!

 

[Baroness of Books]

Yes, that's such a tantalizing statement. Put that painting out there and show it to us!

 

[MichelleQ2]

Yes, that's such a tantalizing statement. Put that painting out there and show it to us!

I assume eventually both paintings will be hung side by side in the NPG. It may take awhile, but I do think that we will see them both.

 

[Baroness of Books]

^^^Probably when all this furor wears down.

 

[Artemisia]

Artist praised for her 'warm' portrait of Duchess of Cambridge after official one was slammed as 'rotten'... and now she plans to show Kate her work

She is one of the world's most beautiful and recognisable women, so painting an accurate portrait of the Duchess of Cambridge will never be easy. But one woman has been praised for her 'warm' portrait of Kate - weeks after the official one was slammed by critics. Artist Norren Denzil, 47, was inspired to paint her own picture of the former Kate Middleton after the official portrait by Paul Emsley was branded 'rotten' and 'unflattering'.

I wasn't very fond of Emsley portrait but, in my opinion, this "warm" portrait is way worse.
- The Portrait

 

[Duchess of Durham]

Artist praised for her 'warm' portrait of Duchess of Cambridge after official one was slammed as 'rotten'... and now she plans to show Kate her work
I wasn't very fond of Emsley portrait but, in my opinion, this "warm" portrait is way worse.
- The Portrait

Oh good! It's not just me, I didn't like this portrait either.

 

[Dman]

All I see is art. Many members of the royal family have had very interesting portraits painted of them.

 

[kathia_sophia]

That portrait is awful, both were and are really awful. How come they're so called professinal artists if they can't even paint a beautiful portrait of Catherine?

 

[Anna Catherine]

I actually like the portrait. I never understood what the big deal was. Even if you don't like it why spew hatred for the artist for like a month or two free wards like all the newspapers did. I felt bad for the artist. It was uncalled for to me.

 

[DCVO]

This portrait also isn't the best - better than I could do, but not what I'd expect for an "official" portrait.

 

[Naggi]

Both portraits are ugly.

 

[cepe]

CHocolate box style - prefer the official portrait.

 

[Trillian]

I preferred the first portrait to this one.

 

[Osipi]

I preferred the first portrait to this one.

I'm not really a fan of either one of them to be honest. Now I wonder if the next one will come from the school of Picasso. The second portrait really did seem to age Kate a lot and made her face and neck look like she has too much loose skin.

 

[4Pam]

I like them both. To me art is art. I don't go beyond it and look for meanings

 

[padams2359]

I like them both. To me art is art. I don't go beyond it and look for meanings

Ditto. We don't know what either artist saw as their light.

 

[cepe]

This portrait also isn't the best - better than I could do, but not what I'd expect for an "official" portrait.

the 2nd one isnt an offical portrait - its someone using the DM to pitch for business

 

[LadyCatharine]

Oh Gawd!
Lines wrinkles ,she looks OLD in this one....Kate is a beautiful lady,can't they get it RIGHT?
Oy Vey!

 

[Daria_S]

The second portrait reminds me of the sketches of a courtroom during a trial. The ones I've seen on the news look like that. Not a good portrayal, in my opinion.

 

[HRHHermione]

I honestly kind of like that both of the portraits showed the Duchess as a real woman, who does have some lines on her face and some character. We get so used to seeing incredibly airbrushed and idealized depictions of women that sometimes it's a bit shocking to see something a little more realistic. To me, in both of the portraits, Kate still looks beautiful, but she also doesn't look like a glamour model and I think that's the right approach.

I think sometimes that it must be difficult to portray a young and beautiful woman in a realistic way for portraits.

 

[GracieGiraffe]

I actually like the portrait. I never understood what the big deal was. Even if you don't like it why spew hatred for the artist for like a month or two free wards like all the newspapers did. I felt bad for the artist. It was uncalled for to me.

I agree that it all became a bit much.

Portraits are tough to get right, very tough. If you want an actual likeness, you must resort to photography. Period.

 

[Baroness of Books]

I honestly kind of like that both of the portraits showed the Duchess as a real woman, who does have some lines on her face and some character. We get so used to seeing incredibly airbrushed and idealized depictions of women that sometimes it's a bit shocking to see something a little more realistic. To me, in both of the portraits, Kate still looks beautiful, but she also doesn't look like a glamour model and I think that's the right approach.

I think sometimes that it must be difficult to portray a young and beautiful woman in a realistic way for portraits.

I absolutely agree with this and people should accept that this is Kate portrayed closer to her realistic, unairbrushed self. We've become so accustomed to photoshopped pictures nowadays that to see the real deal can be startling, to say the least. I find this, as well as the official portrait, to depict Kate as she naturally is, lines and all, just like us mere humans! That being said, I prefer the official portrait to the second one.

 

[Trillian]

Had another look at second image. It looks like those pastelle drawings you can sit for at many a craft market or at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.

 

[Dman]

I honestly kind of like that both of the portraits showed the Duchess as a real woman, who does have some lines on her face and some character. We get so used to seeing incredibly airbrushed and idealized depictions of women that sometimes it's a bit shocking to see something a little more realistic. To me, in both of the portraits, Kate still looks beautiful, but she also doesn't look like a glamour model and I think that's the right approach.

I think sometimes that it must be difficult to portray a young and beautiful woman in a realistic way for portraits.

I agree. I think the actual official portrait showed Catherine has a human being and not as Goddess or "Perfect" Princess. The airbrushed magazines and perfect runway models (women and men) has messed up our society, IMO.