![]() ![]() ‘The Duke of Edinburgh walked in and said something along the lines of “Not another bloody portrait?”’ John Wonnacott, The Royal Family: A Centenary Portrait, 2000 She moved a few times, and at one point I asked her staff whether I could ask her to keep still because I didn’t know whether I could ask her directly! She was very easy to get on with, quite talkative and animated – although I wouldn’t say she was a great sitter, as she was a bit of a fidgeter. I tried to approach painting the Queen in the same way I would any portrait and to treat her as an individual, to make sure it was a realistic representation of her. I didn’t know how to approach her, or speak to her, and I didn’t know any of the court etiquette, all I had was an idea of what she might be wearing. I had a few months to prepare myself to paint the Queen, with whom I had seven sittings I had never met her before, so I had no idea what to expect. I was told the prize would be to paint someone who was in public life – then I got a call the day before the exhibition opened, saying I had won. The painting was unveiled in 1996, the year after I won a local prize following my painting of the bishop of Guildford. ‘She was a bit of a fidgeter’ Antony Williams, H M The Queen, 1996 ![]() It was painted for future years as well – as an artist, who has one shot at a portrait, your aim is to create a timeless image. Ten years on, I think the painting still feels relevant, because it was designed that way. I wanted people to be able to imagine how it feels to be standing in front of the Queen. She was really engaged in the process and there was a humility to her, which I was quite touched by, and I hope that came through in the painting. When I was painting her I got a real sense of her humanity, especially when I stood up close, and I found her to be very bright. The Queen sat for me in the Drawing Room as she always does, and the main challenge was to transpose Her Majesty from there into the Abbey, where the portrait is set. There was no creative restriction at all – the portrait was proposed virtually and involved discussions with the Palace about what the Queen would be wearing, but other than that I had total control. It was the only portrait commissioned for the Diamond Jubilee, which was a wonderful opportunity and a wonderful brief, but there is obviously the enormous pressure it’s the most important job of your career. My painting was commissioned for the 2012 Diamond Jubilee by the National Portrait Gallery of Australia. ‘I got a real sense of her humanity’ Ralph Heimans, 2012 Diamond Jubilee Portrait What was she like as a sitter? How did it feel to depict a monarch – and, inevitably, mark time’s passing? And how do they look back on their encounter, now that she is gone? We spoke to nine portrait artists and photographers about their experience. From Dorothy Wilding’s glamorous society photograph, taken less than a month after the 27-year-old ascended the throne, to Ranald Mackechnie's smiling image – captured earlier this year to mark her Platinum Jubilee – those commissioned to create her official likeness have spent hours, sometimes days in her company. From stamps to coins, posters to paintings, t-shirts to souvenir tea sets, her image surrounded us for most of her 70-year reign.īut her official portraits are caste apart. Queen Elizabeth II was the most portrayed human being in history. ![]()
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