His Majesty King Charles III (portrait)

{{Short description|Painting by Jonathan Yeo}}

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His Majesty King Charles III is a portrait of King Charles III by Jonathan Yeo.{{cite news |last1=Kirka |first1=Danica |title=King Charles III unveils his first official portrait since his coronation |url=https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-iii-britain-portrait-jonathan-yeo-a588c5548bb8b902bd2e3539334991a6 |access-date=11 June 2024 |work=AP News |date=14 May 2024 |language=en |archive-date=11 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240611163052/https://apnews.com/article/king-charles-iii-britain-portrait-jonathan-yeo-a588c5548bb8b902bd2e3539334991a6 |url-status=live }} It was painted between June 2021 and November 2023, a period encompassing Charles's accession to the throne, and was the first official portrait of the King since his coronation. It was commissioned by the Worshipful Company of Drapers.{{Cite news |last=Friedman |first=Vanessa |date=15 May 2024 |title=A Shock of Red for a Royal Portrait |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/15/style/king-charles-iii-portrait-jonathan-yeo-red.html |access-date=13 June 2024 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=10 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240610152839/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/15/style/king-charles-iii-portrait-jonathan-yeo-red.html |url-status=live }}

History and description

Measuring about {{convert|8|ft|6|in}} by {{convert|6|ft|6|in}}, the work is in a vivid red and shows Charles in the uniform of the Welsh Guards.{{cite web |last1=Razzall |first1=Katie |title=King Charles: First official portrait since coronation is unveiled, painted by Jonathan Yeo |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-68981200 |website=BBC News |access-date=15 May 2024 |date=14 May 2024 |archive-date=14 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240514233520/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-68981200 |url-status=live }}

Yeo explained his abundant deployment of the colour red in stating ..."The colour was an early experiment and then I sketched it out and worked on the face, and the face and background worked so well," and then went on to say ...."I just then worked on making sure nothing else interfered with the balance. It was a nice mix of the traditional and the contemporary."

Above his right shoulder is a butterfly, symbolising his accession. Katie Razzall, writing for the BBC, described it as "a vibrant painting". Queen Camilla reportedly told Yeo approvingly: "Yes, you've got him." It was displayed at the Philip Mould Gallery in London from 16 May to 14 June 2024. Since the end of August 2024 it has been displayed at Drapers Hall. Public response to the work has been described as "underwhelming".{{Cite web|url=https://news.artnet.com/art-world/free-king-charles-portrait-few-takers-2578789|title=Barely Anyone Wants This Free Portrait of King Charles|first=Richard Whiddington ShareShare This|last=Article|date=3 December 2024|website=Artnet News}}

Virality

The portrait has received many mixed and meme reactions on social media sites such as Twitter for its red colour scheme, which has been compared to "flames, blood, and horror films".{{Cite web |last=Zhou |first=Li |date=17 May 2024 |title=Blood, flames, and horror movies: The evocative imagery of King Charles's portrait |url=https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2024/5/17/24159374/king-charles-portrait-colonialism |access-date=13 June 2024 |website=Vox |language=en-US |archive-date=2 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240602004804/https://www.vox.com/world-politics/2024/5/17/24159374/king-charles-portrait-colonialism |url-status=live }} This was brought to Yeo's attention by his daughter; he expressed flattery over the reaction.{{Cite web |last=Urwin |first=Rosamund |date=19 May 2024 |title=Jonathan Yeo: What the King thinks of my portrait — and why it's so red |url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-family/article/jonathan-yeo-what-the-king-thinks-of-my-portrait-and-why-its-so-red-g69dnkbjb |access-date=13 June 2024 |website=The Sunday Times |language=en |archive-date=12 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612160656/https://www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-family/article/jonathan-yeo-what-the-king-thinks-of-my-portrait-and-why-its-so-red-g69dnkbjb |url-status=live }}

The work has been compared to Francis Bacon's 1949 painting Head IV.{{Cite web|url=http://hyperallergic.com/916983/in-defense-of-jonathan-yeo-king-charles-portrait/|title=In Defense of Jonathan Yeo's King Charles Portrait|first=Saam|last=Niami|date=22 May 2024|website=Hyperallergic}}

Vandalism

Protestors from the Animal Rising collective attached posters depicting Wallace, of Wallace and Gromit, with a caption, to the glass case of the portrait, in June 2024, in protest against the conditions in "assured farms" accredited by the RSPCA, of which the King is a patron.{{cite news |last1=Coughlan |first1=Sean |title=Animal-rights protesters attack portrait of King |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cydd9ye77rmo |access-date=11 June 2024 |work=BBC |date=11 June 2024 |archive-date=11 June 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240611142418/https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cydd9ye77rmo |url-status=live }}

References