A portrait of King Charles III, which was unveiled

A portrait of King Charles III, which was unveiled on May 14, is sparking controversy. The moment I see the portrait, I notice the color red filled with the enormous canvas (268 x 198 cm). The red Welsh Guards uniform worn by the larger-than-life king is melted into a red background and disappears, with only a wrinkled face highlighted. A butterfly is flying in and about to sit on its shoulder.

Viewers of the portrait said, "It looks like Dante's hell" and "It looks like a portrait of Dorian Gray." Jonathan Yeo (born 1970) asked why he drew this portrait?  

In the pre-modern era, a king's portrait was a tool to show off the king's dignity and power. Using techniques such as dignified posture, grandiose robes, and expressionless face without feeling emotions, royal painters created images that the king wanted to show to his subjects and people, and images of power.
In modern times, the king lost his power, and the genre of portrait itself changed. Portraits have evolved toward emphasizing human personality rather than revealing the dignity or splendor of sitters, and on the other hand, to reveal the artist's own style.

Jonathan Yeoh is a man who painted a lot of unconventional portraits. If you expect him to respectfully follow the norms of traditional royal portraits, you are wrong. If you wanted a noble and clean portrait, you would have chosen a different artist. King Charles III is an expert in art and had many conversations with the painter, who posed for 40 minutes four times. There must have been a certain consensus between the sitter and the painter.

When I first saw it, I thought, 'What is this! It seems that the king is submerged in blood-colored thick pulp and is only putting out his neck.' But when I opened it again, the king's face is carefully painted with a personality and dignity.
King Charles III, who rose to the throne after living without any significant presence throughout his life, gained a strong presence as the most exceptional portrait of the royal family ever painted. Both parties achieved what they wanted.