first picture I have EVER seen of him smiling and happy?!
In fairness, for most of art history all people of rank depicted in commissioned portraits were painted not smiling. (The Mona Lisa always excepted, if, that is, she was a commissioned portrait of a Florentine merchant's wife and not someone else or a made-up woman altogether - no idea that the latest theory is. The idea that you could depict an HRH looking other than serious is relatively recent, I believe - it was considered disrespectful and undignified.
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Re: The Pop Art Thing I mentioned
Date: 2020-10-20 06:02 am (UTC)In fairness, for most of art history all people of rank depicted in commissioned portraits were painted not smiling. (The Mona Lisa always excepted, if, that is, she was a commissioned portrait of a Florentine merchant's wife and not someone else or a made-up woman altogether - no idea that the latest theory is. The idea that you could depict an HRH looking other than serious is relatively recent, I believe - it was considered disrespectful and undignified.