“There were memes, conspiracy theories … it was being talked about on the Daily Show and Saturday Night Live. That just doesn’t normally happen,” he said, adding that “it took me a day or two” to come to terms with the reaction.
Now, Yeo feels privileged to have painted Attenborough, 98, describing him as “one of the most extraordinary people, an incredible force of nature in every way”.
The painting was created over five sittings to mark 40 years of his fellowship of the Royal Society. It will be displayed to the public from July 2.
Sharing an image of the painting on X, Yeo wrote: “It’s been the greatest honour and thrill to paint him, am only sad the sittings are finished and I’ll no longer have an excuse to bask in his brilliant, charismatic and entertaining company.”
Attenborough said: “That my portrait has now been painted by such a master as Jonathan Yeo for the society’s extensive and important collection is extraordinary indeed,” adding that it had been a privilege to spend his lifetime examining nature.
Yeo’s portrait of King Charles took three years to paint, and was completed over four sittings at Highgrove and Clarence House – not bad for a royal subject with a busy schedule.
It aims to capture His Majesty’s “life experiences” and how his “role in our public life has transformed”. Charles is depicted in military regalia – the uniform of the Welsh Guards – abstracted by a background and foreground of painterly brushstrokes in varying shades of vibrant red. A butterfly (the King’s suggestion) prepares to land on his shoulder.
When the royal family’s official Instagram account shared an image of the portrait, the comment section soon revealed mixed reactions to the “terrifying” painting.
“It looks like he’s in hell,” suggested one follower. Another user declared it the “worst official portrait I have ever seen”, while others called it “beautiful” and “a break from the traditional portraits”.
Yeo himself called it “a privilege and pleasure to have been commissioned by The Drapers’ Company to paint this portrait of His Majesty the King”.
