Its chief defect was that it looked unfinished in as much as his. Too often it's in contrast to our own distorted version. The painting, by Graham Sutherland, was a decidedly modern take on the octogenarian statesman. The Portrait of Winston Churchill was a painting by English artist Graham Sutherland that depicted the British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill, created in 1954.It was disliked by Churchill and eventually destroyed shortly after. Sutherland's interpretation of Churchill, even six decades later, is illustrative of how most of us similarly detest an honest portrayal of ourselves by others. However, when art meets honesty, it can turn into something more sobering, like a slap across the face.Ĭhurchill experienced this, I believe. Sitter in 62 portraits Artist associated with 23 portraits One of a generation of students who, influenced by Samuel Palmer, revived the art of etching with a romantic vision of the English landscape.The Pembrokeshire coast was a lifelong source of inspiration. Or to better understand it and better imagine it. Sure, one of art's purposes is to reflect viewers' idealized image of themselves or their unrealized world. Just imagine if an esteemed artist takes a few weeks to paint your portrait with the intention of depicting you realistically more than artistically, and then that bigger-than-life portrait gets publicly unveiled to the world. It was Sutherland’s practice to prepare detailed sketches, almost completely finished works, often close. You think the photo op went well, but after it posts online, for others to see, you look like a sad tomato. At the birthday celebrations at Westminster Hall in November 1954, Churchill was presented with a portrait by Graham Sutherland, commissioned by past and present members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Or worse yet, someone takes your digital photo and posts it on social media. Have you ever left home thinking you look attractive, or at least presentable for public display, and then catch images of yourself later in the day and wonder why you look like a clothes hamper with legs? I have. Or when our vanity or virility enhances the mirror of our self-image.įor instance, have you ever looked at old photos of yourself and thought you didn't look too good during that era, though at that time you felt pretty good about yourself? I have. In fact, they may be even more apropos in our younger days when our looks and image mean so much more to us. The same misperceptions or distortions apply to people of any age, not just at my age or Churchill's age. They see us as who we are, not who we were. We habitually see ourselves in a better light than the rest of the world views us. We see ourselves differently than others see us. Especially an historical figure who once pompously proclaimed, "Of course I'm an egoist." Who would want to look like that? Nobody.
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