NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, ILLAMASQUA, MAC AND CHARLES FOX

THE NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY 15/10/2015

On the 15th of October I visited the National Portrait Gallery in London to get some inspiration for some Elizabethan looks.  

I found a lot of inspiration from some of the portraits including portraits of Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn. Although the gallery was small, there were lots of portraits and each one had different styles which I could potentially get inspiration from. Travelling found London made me very motivated to get work done and visit everywhere we wanted to. 

QUEEN ELIZABETH I (1533-1603)

This painting is known as 'The Coronation Portrait' and shows the Queen crowned, wearing the cloth of gold that she wore at her coronation on January 15th 1559 and which had previously been worn by Mary I. She holds the orb and sceptre, symbols of her authority. 

As Elizabeth's reign progressed the date of her accession to the throne became the day of celebration, with tournaments at court and the ringing of bells in parishes across England. The portrait is probably a copy of a lost original c.1559. 

ANNE BOLEYN (1500-1536)

The second wife of Henry VIII. Anne married the king in secret in 1533, shortly before Henry's marriage to Katherine of Aragon was annulled in England. Later in the same year their daughter Princess Elizabeth, later Elizabeth I, was born. By 1536 Henry was still desperate for a male heir and began to doubt the legitimacy of their marriage. That same year Anne was charged with adultery and incest and was executed.

There are a few contemporary portraits of Anne Boleyn and this painting is probably based on an earlier version. She was described as having a long neck, wide mouth and eyes which were black and beautiful.

I learnt a lot of things during my time at the portrait gallery about how the Elizabethans used to look, dress and act. The rich would dress completely different to how the poor would have dressed and looked. They all had different techniques on how to look rich and presentable. All of he rich were pale and mainly had red hair. 

I picked up a few things from London. I bought the Illamasqua gel sculpt in silhouette, a Hoola bronzer from benefit and a nars illuminator from Liberty's in Copacabana.