TGIF: very important question; what do you think of Kate Middleton's official portrait?

Dreadful. Her nose is mysteriously huge and misshapen. Dark circles and bags have appeared under her eyes. Her beautiful smile has morphed into a smirk. Most interestingly, she looks about 20 years older than her actual age.

When the portrait was unveiled, Kate and Wills managed to behave graciously and express admiration. Good manners can require good acting, and that couple deserves an Academy Award.

That’s pretty terrible. She looks much older than she is. The facial expression, lack of smile is not flattering. The style in which it is painted seems almost gothic in tone. Oddly dark color palette. And why the lack of definition around her head?

She looks to be in both a literal and figurative haze.

I think she should sue.

It is pretty horrid. She should punch the artist.

I don’t think it’s very flattering. Her eyes look half closed too. Imagine years from now, people will look back and judge her looks based on that. I often look at the portraits of the wives of Henry VIII and ponder on what beauty meant back then. They all look fairly hideous to me. I suspect the same will be true in a few hundred years when people look back and read how beautiful Kate was in newspaper coverage and books and then see this.

I agree with her public statement. I think it’s brilliant.

A fake smile that oozes pure arrogance and condescension. How very fitting for the aristocracy.

No doubt the artist has talent. It looks just like her…just in twenty years’ time.

It really doesn’t capture her well. Not only is the likeness off but it is flat in tone, utterly lacking the sparkle and vivacity that make her such an attractive addition to the royal family.

It seems to me that given the state of 21st-century photography, a painted portrait ought to deliver something special, something that goes beyond what we can see in a photograph, rather than falling short of it in all ways.

The possibility does exist, of course, that the photographic reproductions of the painting aren’t doing it justice.

@Bellatrix Imagine years from now, people will look back and judge her looks based on that.

Well, the portrait and 5 billion photographs and millions of hours of video of her.

It’s a very good painting. Everything is very real. The hair, the lips, the eyes, the blouse. After a split second view, I know it’s Kate.

My reaction to it, though, is it’s not a picture to look too long at. The longer you look, the less kind she seems. When you see her in photos, she seems kind.

It bothered me, what the artist apparently told People. (I don’t know what else he said, though, that they didn’t quote in this article) He thinks Kate is someone… whose face is just a lovely face and that it’s lacking some sort of gravitas, as if she’s bland and empty, as if his job isn’t to capture her in paint but to fix her, give her substance, make her look royal. She’s a strong, intelligent, graceful woman. All he needed to do was capture her, not try to improve. That’s where I think he erred. Not in his technique, but in his expression.

Technically it is a masterpiece, I wish I had a fraction of the talent it takes to produce a painting like that.

But I think her expression is not nice at all. She is beautiful and that truly does not do her justice!

They seem to have made her look much older? How odd. The poor girl has bags under her eyes, and her nose is odd. Oh well, I think all round she is a grounded person. I know if someone painted a portrait of me like this I’d cry.

Remember though, art is as seen from the spectator. If I were her I’d ask it to be replaced by a Hentai Cartoon rendition.

I will say obviously he is a brilliant artist, technique wise

Yeah, took a lot of stick has this painting, makes her look like a fucking ghost, a snobby one to boot.
Personally, I wouldn’t kick her out of bed & feel slightly let down she didn’t agree to a nude piece…much better than a seedy pap image in magazines.

Was that ^ in English? Any kind of Engish? Ucme should have subtitles.

^^ Snob, I believe “oy vey” is appropriate here.

It’s just a suggestion so more people understand you.

All suggestions are giggled at & dispensed of in a matter befitting their status…recycle bin!

When bored – try asking a question – or chatting.

Not in the slightest bit bored, just shooting the breeze..oops, that means responding to chat by the way.

I think it makes her look much older than she us. Not very flattering at all in my opinion.

I was loving it when @ucme was saying “nowt” all the time, I could hear him speaking in my mind, hehehe!

Nowt wrang wiv dat sheila.

It’s very odd, and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is that seems off. She definitely looks much older than she is, and she does not look “regal” like she should for an official royal portrait. It looks too much like a chalk drawing and not an oil painting. It’s just weird, but I can’t quite say why.

By contrast here is a portrait of the Queen as a young woman. It looks like her, and it’s quite regal and lovely.

Hubba-Hubba ;¬}

@ucme – poor queenie, someone is always taking the mickey at her expense. Have you seen this one, I think it is hysterical, and a nice pic of Kate there too and I agree Nowt wrang wiv dat sheila.

@rooeytoo Oh she can take it, broad shoulders & all that, yeah Kate does scrub up nice.