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5 min read

Their Majesties, The King & The Queen Consort have commissioned artists to capture the royal moments

Updated: May 8, 2023

TRF Media, 5th May 2023: Your Majesties Five artists have been commissioned by the King and Queen Consort to capture some of the most crucial moments of the Coronation Weekend. Sketches and paintings of the Coronation Procession and Service, as well as the Coronation concert, will be created by the artists.


Swati Bhat

Inviting artists to sketch, paint, and draw pictures from the Coronation symbolises Their Majesties' common love and affection for the arts and creative sectors, and also maintains a long tradition of similar commissions by previous Monarchs. His Majesty created The Royal Drawing School (previously known as The Prince's Drawing School) in 2000 as The Prince of Wales.

His Majesty is also a watercolourist and frequently commissions artists to accompany him on foreign trips.


Drawings of the procession route

His Majesty has chosen three Royal Drawing School alumni to draw events from points along the Processional Route. The artists will use their preferred medium to observe and capture crowds along the path, Their Majesties' departure from Buckingham Palace, Their Majesties' arrival at Westminster Abbey, and the return trip following the Service.

Fraser Scarfe, Phoebe Stannard, and Gideon Summerfield are the painters.

Scarfe is the current Head of the Drawing Year and attended the 2012-13 Drawing Year. (The Drawing Year is a full scholarship postgraduate-level course offering up to thirty students the opportunity to focus on drawing from observation for one year. There are no tuition fees for The Drawing Year – all students are awarded a full scholarship and receive a free studio space.)

Stannard, like Stannard, teaches at the Royal Drawing School and finished The Drawing Year there in 2010. "I believe The King understands the power, intimacy, and precision of drawing to capture time," Stannard remarked of covering the Coronation. His Majesty's patronage for the arts has helped develop a generation of artists, including me, and it is both an honour and a challenge to be asked to utilise my skills to capture the spectacle of the day."

Summerfield participated in the Young Artists' Programme before returning to The Royal Drawing School as a postgraduate to complete The Drawing Year. Summerfield stated, "His Majesty The King has had a direct impact on the progression of my artistic career from the age of 13 (15 years ago!)"

"I thoroughly enjoyed my time there, and the teachers' and school's tuition and support were invaluable." I returned to the School after university to complete a terrific postgraduate course."


Paintings in the Abbey

The Coronation Service will be painted from within Westminster Abbey by Eileen Hogan. She is the first woman to be appointed to this position. Hogan is an Emeritus Professor at the University of the Arts London, a Trustee of the Royal Drawing School, and a Salvesen Mindroom Centre Ambassador.

Hogan is anticipated to create a series of ten small paintings from inside Westminster Abbey, some of which may be expanded into larger works.

Hogan contributed to 'The Last of the Tide: Portraits of D-Day Veterans' (2015) and 'Prince and Patron' (2018).

Throughout the process, Hogan served as a mentor to The Royal Drawing School alumni students. Eileen explained her approach to depicting the Coronation: "Why paint the Coronation when the ceremony will be filmed and photographed from every angle?" Painting allows for complexity and layering as a result of a human making expressive marks. I want to portray how the event will express social and political meanings surrounding the monarchy, faiths, the state, and the congregation in 2023, all encased inside the building of Westminster Abbey, which itself represents centuries of change. My objective is to forge a painterly relationship with this highly historical, concentrated event and its essential characters in my own language while being loyal to the occasion."

Portraits of States

Following the Coronation, the formal painting of the State Portraits will take place. Their Majesties have each appointed an artist to paint their portraits.

His Majesty's Coronation State Portrait will be painted by Peter Kuhfeld NEAC.RP.CAS.

'The Last of the Tide: Portraits of D-Day Veterans' (2015) and 'Seven Portraits: Surviving the Holocaust' (2022) are among Kuhfeld's past works for the Royal Household.

Kuhfeld said: “I first met HRH The Prince of Wales, as he was then over 40 years ago through a mutual friend Sir Brinsley Ford. Since that time His Majesty has given me unwavering support in my work; taking me on five of his overseas trips, opening doors and giving me opportunities that I would not have had. Through his great love of painting and drawing he has commissioned me to paint so many outstanding celebrations, including Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee on the Thames.”

Now, as he becomes our King and takes over from The late Queen, his beloved mother, it is my honour that he has asked me to paint his Coronation Portrait.”

Her Majesty's Coronation State Portrait will be painted by Paul Benney. Benney has twice won the National Portrait Gallery's BP Portrait Awards' Public Choice prize. 'The Last of the Tide: Portraits of D-Day Veterans' (2015), 'Seven Portraits: Surviving the Holocaust' (2022), and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II (2015) are among her previous Royal Household commissions.

Benney said: “A portrait is both a projection and a mirror. The recent history of portraiture has taught us that the traditional commission as a tribute solely to the social position of the sitter has gradually morphed into a contemporary regard for the symbolism of the human condition. In my own practice, while acknowledging the reality of power and position, I firmly focus on the physiognomy and personality of the sitter, insisting on the relationship I have with the subject to add psychological weight to what can be a rather restrictive genre. Ultimately, regardless of the sitter - Royalty, politician or simply a friend of the artist – the great portrait will reach across the years and sociological divides to speak to us as a fellow human being. As anybody who has been affected by a great Rembrandt will know, this can be a profoundly moving experience.”


Concert

Shana Pagano Lohrey, an alumni of the Royal Drawing School, has been chosen to draw at the Coronation Concert, capturing the mood, throng, and atmosphere of the occasion.

"The Royal Drawing School has cultivated a very special place and community of people, where I learned that there is an infinite range of perspectives and approaches to drawing; each artist practises with their own unique and idiosyncratic challenges," Lohrey stated. I am continuously amazed at the opportunities, people, and adventures that drawing and the School have provided and continue to provide."

Shana has been charged with creating a variety of artworks and anticipates using charcoal and pastels as mediums. Shana's painting, like the others commissioned above, will be added to the Royal Collection.








4 min read

The government would like to be facilitators & supporters of the media & entertainment industry

Government committed to working alongside the Media and Entertainment sector to overcome the challenge of manpower and infrastructure India has the potential to become a global leader in the AVGC industry NFDC-OTT to provide a platform to young filmmakers to showcase their talent –Secretary, Union Ministry of I &B Union Information and Broadcasting Secretary, Shri Apurva Chandra, presents inaugural address at 23rd edition of FICCI FRAMES


“The government would like to be facilitators and supporters of the media and entertainment industry so that it reaches the world stage". While the Media & Entertainment industry is growing at fast pace , the sector needs to step up the game to ‘catch up with the world’. "The world is interested in Indian stories and Indian culture” said Shri Apurva Chandra, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. He was speaking at the inaugural address of the 23rd edition of FICCI FRAMES here in Mumbai today. The 23rd edition of FICCI FRAMES, one of Asia’s largest and most definitive annual global convention on the business of Entertainment is being held from the 3-5th May 2023 at , Powai, Mumbai.

Further speaking on overcoming the challenges of manpower and infrastructure that are before the industry, the Secretary said, “The Government is committed to working alongside the industry to set up more and more institutes so that more manpower comes on board in the industry.

The Secretary said, “Animation, visual effects and graphics are areas which have tremendous potential. With the establishment of the AVGC Task Force and the creation of a national policy for AVGC, India will be well on its way to becoming a global leader in the AVGC industry.” He elaborated that government is going to explore ways to introduce AVGC in school curriculum so that students are exposed to this growing and exciting sector at an early age. He also stated that the Government hopes to make a National Centre for Excellence operational in Mumbai by next year.

Speaking about the National Film Heritage Mission, the Secretary said that Government will soon launch a program under which film enthusiasts and common citizens can fund the digitization and restoration of their favourite film. He further added that, government is targeting digitization and restoration of more than five thousand feature films and short films. Out of this 1400 feature films and 1100 short films are already digitized.

Underlining the role of the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), the Secretary said, “Through NFDC we need to finance projects and give support to young filmmakers who don't have access to funds otherwise. We also hope to come up with NFDC's own OTT as a platform to showcase those films that don't get space in the market so that young talent gets a chance to showcase its talent”, he said.

Expressing hope that recent policy decisions will prevent film piracy, the Secretary said, “The cabinet has recently approved the revamp of the Cinematograph Act so that strict action can be taken against piracy. The act is likely to be introduced in the Monsoon Session of Parliament. We hope to get it passed soon. This will give direct powers to the government to take action against websites showing pirated films.”

Shri Apurva Chandra, also released the FICCI- EY Media and Entertainment Report titled ‘Windows of Opportunity: India’s M & E Sector Maximizing Across Segments’, at the inaugural session of FICCI Frames. As per the Report, the media and entertainment industry has cross the two lakh crore mark. The industry has witnessed 20 percent growth in comparison to 2021.

Also present on the occasion were Shri. Subhrakant Panda, President, FICCI & Managing Director, Indian Metals & Ferro Alloys Ltd., Ms. Jyoti Deshpande, Chair, FICCI M & E Committee and CEO, Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd. & President Media & Content Business, Reliance Industries Ltd., Shri. Ayushmann Khurrana, Renowned Indian Actor, Shri. Ashish Pherwani, Partner, M&E, EY, Shri. Shailesh K Pathak, Secretary General, FICCI.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ayushmann Khurrana said, “The more local we go, the more global we reach. Our film industry is at the cusp of global greatness, and I am fortunate to be living in a time where the world has become a creative melting pot of culture. India is being looked at as a creative juggernaut and our industry is being welcomed globally.”

In his welcome address, President of FICCI, Shri. Subhrakant Panda elaborated on the development story that is evolving in the Indian media and entertainment industry. “The entertainment and media industry is clearly on an upward trajectory going at a CAGR of 10.5% over the last several years. In the year 2022 -2023 it grew at an above average rate of 11.4%, which speaks volumes of the industry’s resilience and its potential to create new opportunities in a rapidly evolving landscape. As the Indian media and entertainment industry undergoes a digital revolution, this is a pivotal moment of transformation”, he said.

The three-day FICCI Frames convention will be an unparalleled platform for the exchange of ideas and knowledge between individuals, countries and conglomerates. The theme of this year’s convention is Inspire-Innovate-Immerse, celebrating the evolution of the industry and reflect on its future. The convention’s agenda includes panel discussions, conferences, exhibitions, fireside chats, masterclasses, and workshops, covering various topics such as film, television, animation, gaming, music, and digital media and other sub sectors of Media & Entertainment industry.





2 min read

Tom Cruise, Winnie the Pooh, & Nicole Scherzinger set to perform at King Charles' Coronation Concert

The crowning of King Charles III is guaranteed to be a remarkable affair, if only for the unusual roster that will appear at a concert held in the new monarch's honour.

Tom Cruise, Winnie the Pooh, Nichole Scherzinger

The newest names to be announced for the Coronation Concert, which will take place the day after the historic ceremony in the grounds of Windsor Castle, are "Top Gun" actor Tom Cruise, Pussycat Dolls frontwoman Nicole Scherzinger, and tubby little cubby Winnie the Pooh.

It will not be the trio's first encounter with royalty, as all three have previously attended royal events. Cruise attended Princess Diana's burial in 1997, Pooh was invited to Queen Elizabeth II's 80th anniversary children's garden party at Buckingham Palace in 2006, and Scherzinger participated in a pageant for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee last year.

It will not be the trio's first encounter with royalty, as all three have previously attended royal events. Cruise attended Princess Diana's burial in 1997, Pooh was invited to Queen Elizabeth II's 80th anniversary children's garden party at Buckingham Palace in 2006, and Scherzinger participated in a pageant for Queen Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee last year.

For the coronation, which will commemorate King Charles' accession to the throne following the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth, last year, Cruise and Pooh will appear in a series of pre-recorded VTs alongside "Dynasty" star Joan Collins, singer Tom Jones, adventurer Bear Grylls, and dancer Oti Mabuse, revealing "little-known facts about the King."

Paloma Faith, Tiwa Savage, Steve Winwood, Olly Murs, and club DJ Pete Tong have also been announced to perform at the performance. Lang Lang, a world-renowned pianist, and Lucy, a recent "The Piano" winner, will also perform at the evening. Sonam Kapoor, a Bollywood actress, will also perform a spoken word performance to introduce the Commonwealth virtual choir.

They will join previously confirmed performers such as Katy Perry and Lionel Richie. Hugh Bonneville of "Downton Abbey" will emcee the proceedings, which will be produced by BBC Studios.

"I am incredibly honoured to be a part of such a historic event," Scherzinger remarked. "The United Kingdom has been my home away from home for many years, so lending my voice through the gift of song means so much to me." The song I'll be singing is a powerful, poignant composition. And performing on the same stage as Lang Lang will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

"I'm delighted that even more world-class names have joined the line-up for the Coronation Concert, which will be broadcast live across the BBC," said Kate Phillips, BBC director of entertainment.

It's going to be a jam-packed evening of memorable moments for Their Majesties and everyone in the UK, set against the majestic backdrop of Windsor Castle!"

The coronation of the King will take place on Saturday, May 6. The Coronation Concert will take place on Sunday, May 7,2023.





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