oe Rogan appeared to wade into the debate over the recent “blood red” painting of King Charles III as he made a sarcastic remark about the artwork on social media.
The brainchild of artist Jonathan Yeo, the color of the finished design has proved divisive in the aftermath of its unveiling by the British monarch at Buckingham Palace in London. The 8ft 6in by 6ft 6in work is characterized by its striking red theme, which matches the king’s Welsh Guards uniform.
The first painting of its kind since Charles was crowned at his coronation after ascending to the throne, the design did receive the seal of approval from Queen Camilla, who remarked “you’ve got him” to the artist upon seeing the painting, according to the BBC. Yeo has also explained that the king saw the work in a “half-done state”, adding: “He was initially mildly surprised by the strong colour but otherwise he seemed to be smiling approvingly.”
The painting has proven controversial, however, with members of the public and critics alike panning the finished piece. Among the naysayers was UFC commentator Rogan, who posted a picture of the painting on Instagram, alongside the caption: “This is completely normal.”
The post from the outspoken podcast host inspired a mixed reaction from high-profile Instagram users spanning the worlds of music, sports and more. Singer Julian Lennon replied to the post, saying: “Stunning & ethereal” while MMA star Arnold Allen also reacted saying: “Hey that’s my sweet king!”
The design also features a butterfly at the request of King Charles himself, with Yeo revealing: “I said, when schoolchildren are looking at this in 200 years and they’re looking at the who’s who of the monarchs, what clues can you give them? He said ‘what about a butterfly landing on my shoulder?'”
Artist Jonathan Yeo stands in front of the portrait of the King Charles III at Buckingham Palace (
Image:
Getty Images)
The King’s official portrait has divided opinon (
Image:
Getty Images)
Addressing the fallout after the design was met with mixed reviews across the board from those in Britain and across the world, the artist joked: “If this was seen as treasonous, I could literally pay for it with my head, which would be an appropriate way for a portrait painter to die – to have their head removed!”
“On the one hand, we know they’re real people with quirks and personality traits,” he said, explaining what he was looking to portray in the painting. “We’ve seen that much more of them. On the other hand, we still want to buy into the mysticism and the fairy tale that they’re different from us, that there’s a bit of magic there.”
Following its unveiling at Buckingham Palace, the controversial portrait is set to go on display at the Philip Mould Gallery in London between May 16 and June 14. Members of the public will be able to view the finished painting at Drapers’ Hall until the end of August.
