You could say that the Duchess of Cambridge is a natural at just about everything she does. That was what artist Paul Emsley tried to capture in the first official portrait of Kate which was released on Friday, January 11, 2013.
The painting shows the lovely Duchess of Cambridge in a classic teal pussycat bow blouse accented with small jeweled earrings. Her hair was painted simply down with waves just like she wears it on a regular basis. She is seen with a subtle smile and piercing green eyes. Her makeup was kept neutral. The background of the painting was done in a dark tone and classic manner.
According to DukeandDuchessofCambridge.com, Kate completed two sittings with the artist in May and June. The entire process took three-and-a-half months. Emsley worked off a series of photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge during the process.
The portrait was commisioned by the National Portrait Gallery of which Kate is a patron. It was done with the support of Hugh Leggatt in memory of Sir Denis Mahon through the Art Fund.
The goal was to keep Kate as natural as possible in the portrait. According to Emsley "the Duchess explained that she would like to be portrayed as "her natural self as opposed to her official self."
While the portrait lacks a powerful punch with color, it does seem to convey the wishes of the royal. Kate thought the portrait was "brilliant." Many art critics however don't have the same view of the work. Twitter is afire with people saying the image is unflattering and makes the Duchess of Cambridge appear older.
The art critic from the Independent wrote that the painting was 'catastrophic" combining " hamsterish" cheeks with "hair whose featheriness has been borrowed from an advert for shampoo."
This is not the last we have heard about this portrait. What do you think?
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