Feature: The Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition, The Mall Galleries, SW1
Published: 19 May, 2011
by JOHN EVANS
ONLY this week Boris Johnson was reported as saying he found painting on cheese boxes, Camembert and so on, therapeutic as a pastime.
The London Mayor himself features as an award-winning portrait in the annual show at the Mall Galleries for the Royal Society of Portrait Painters, with its eclectic mix of the famous (HM Queen, Michael Sheen,
Dr David Starkey, Lord Fellowes, Baroness Boothroyd) and the anonymous (see, for example, “A Girl”, above).
There is a diverse range of media, as is to be expected from a selection which is drawn both from society members and open contributors. More than 200 works are on show from an entry of about 1,100.
Dr Starkey was at the launch, and obviously pleased by artist June Mendoza’s work. In turn, she noted: “His orange wall, favourite pink shirt, expressive hands and the Starkey expression gave me all I needed.”
Daphne Todd has painted screenwriter and actor Lord (Downton Abbey) Fellowes who was also at the launch and welcomed a resurgence of interest in portraiture.
In truth it has never waned much, especially with all the family pictures, self-portraits and those of other artists. There is a good example here of David Hockney by Emily Porter-Salmon.
James Lloyd’s portrait of Elizabeth II commissioned for a Cambridge college and dubbed “the serene Queen” is also being exhibited. And there are the more formal military and academic paintings and drawings.
Beyond celebrity, however, there is another important facet to the Mall show because it again includes The Changing Faces Prize. Changing Faces is the charity that lends support and information to people with disfigurements to the face, hands or body, and their families.
The prize, for the artist who best conveys the energy of their subject, directness of gaze, openness and confidence, this year went to Irish painter Benita Stoney for her work Nicola 2009.
• The Royal Society of Portrait Painters Annual Exhibition, The Mall Galleries, SW1, until Friday £2.50, free for Westminster Rescard holders.