The Gentleman’s Journal
By Jonathan Wells
Wednesday 11th January 2023
You can keep your front-facing cameras and countless megapixels — because real portraits can’t be found on your camera roll. Instead, commissioned portraits are intricately inked and painstakingly painted works of art; much more than a ‘mode’ on your smartphone. These portraits are personal; handcrafted heirlooms-in-waiting that both tell a story and take time to get right.
Of course, spending hours sitting for a portrait may sound strange to the selfie-snapping instant-gratification generation. But it’s well worth it. Invest in a portrait, and it’ll stay with you forever — a one-off, totally unique piece to keep in the family for years to come.
Annabel Elton is Head of Commissions at Mall Galleries, and a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters. With a major London exhibition planned for later this spring, where prospective portraitees can seek out the perfect artist for them, we asked Elton for her top tips in taking your first step on this journey — and what considerations and decisions you’ll be expected to make along the way…
Why do you want to commission a portrait?
It’s the first question you should ask yourself. Even the humblest of us would probably enjoy locking eyes with an oil-rendered version of ourselves, but are you doing this for the gilded frame alone? Or is there a deeper reason you want to be immortalised on canvas? According to Elton, people usually lean towards portraits for one of two reasons.
“They are nearly always commissioned for a combination of love and legacy,” says Elton. “It is wonderful to create a work of art that encapsulates the essence of a person forever. Whilst the word ‘vanity’ might be bandied around, in my experience, a person commissioning a portrait of themselves does it to be part of a work of art, experience its creative process, and perhaps, more importantly, out of curiosity”.
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READ FULL INTERVIEW in the Gentleman’s Journal
Contact Annabel Elton – Head of Portrait Commissions: 0207 968 0963 | [email protected]
