Yahoo Finance See a 1955 Portrait of Queen Elizabeth Reimagined with a Pop Art Twist by Nigerian Artist
Oluwole Omofemi
It's Queen Elizabeth as you've never seen her before.
A circa-1955 portrait of the monarch provided the inspiration for Nigerian artist Oluwole Omofemi's specially commissioned oil painting that covers Tatler's July issue in celebration of the Queen's historic Platinum Jubilee.
In his signature pop-art style, Omofemi keeps some elements of the original photo — including her George IV State Diadem tiara, Nizam of Hyderabad necklace and a sash adorned with the star of the Order of the Garter — but reimagines other elements. In his painting, the Queen is set against a bright yellow background and her dress features a flower pattern.
"When I start any project, it is not about how beautiful the painting looks but how I can capture the essence of my subject," he told the magazine. "I needed to imagine I was in front of the Queen, to connect with her. She is the longest-reigning [monarch], and when I look at her, I see someone who has conquered life. She understands what she needs to do and she knows she can do it well."
Hulton Archive/Getty Images
The photograph that Omofemi, 34, based his painting on dates from around the time of the Queen's 1956 visit to Nigeria, where the artist's grandfather had seen her as she drove past waving to the crowds.
"Growing up, I heard a lot of good things about the Queen and how impactful she is — not just in the United Kingdom but to the Commonwealth and all over the world…She was so young and yet she had already undertaken so much," Omofemi said.
The artist dedicated himself to the painting for four weeks, even sleeping in a separate bedroom from his wife, while he worked on it.
"Even eating, I am looking at it on my screensaver," he said. "God has helped me to do this…[It is] the most important project of my life so far."
Oluwole Omofemi
Olofemi, who often depicts African women in his work, also made a conscious decision about making the Queen have black hair in his painting.
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"Many of the great things the Queen achieved came at a very young age, so I have painted her with black hair," he said. "I also wanted to introduce my own style into this painting and, for me, hair represents the power of the woman."
The painting will be featured in Sotheby's exhibition Power & Image: Royal Portraiture & Iconography, alongside works like Andy Warhol's screenprints from his 1985 Reigning Queens portfolio and the Woburn Abbey Collection's Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I.
