The enigmatic sovereign
By Chris Levine, artist
If I was going to take on the commission, I wanted to instil into it something iconic. Creatively, I was given complete agency. I got to style the Queen, which I did with her PA Angela Kelly, and chose a single line of pearls, a selection of capes and the Diadem Crown, which is beautiful and understated, with a simple cross.
The reason the portrait has touched so many people is because it has a spiritual dimension
The appointment had been in my diary for three years, and when the big moment arrived it was surreal. The Queen came into the Yellow Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace wearing the dress I had picked out, and I almost had to pinch myself. Angela Kelly brought the crown in a large jewellery box; you might think putting it on would be a big ceremonial affair, but they just did it in front of the mirror. I had been briefed on how to address the Queen – “Ma’am”, not “Marm” – and to shake her hand as she put hers out. She was very composed and observant, rather than reactive. She looked at me and didn’t give anything away.
I had some incense burning in the room because I wanted to create an ambience of calm. I used a camera that takes eight seconds and shoots 200 frames, so I stood next to her to time it with her breathing. I wanted to capture a sense of exhalation and stillness; to see her as a human, rather than be distracted by the fact that she is the Queen. I spoke with her about meditation practices, and learnt that hers is gardening, which I thought was quite beautiful.
The resulting portraits have really resonated with people. In 2012, the National Portrait Gallery opened its show of 16 of the most powerful images ever made of the Queen (including those by Lucian Freud, Andy Warhol and Pietro Annigoni) with Equanimity, and closed it with Lightness of Being. Equanimity was the official portrait, showing the Queen with her eyes open, looking straight ahead. Its title reflects how she manages to stay composed, despite all the demands made of her. I asked her how she felt about the title of the work, and she said she thought it was appropriate.
The second is Lightness of Being (pictured), where her eyes are closed. This was actually an outtake, and I think the reason it has touched so many people is because it has a spiritual dimension. Some people who are not necessarily royalists have collected versions of Lightness of Being, and now there are editions hanging on different walls all over the world. There’s something about it that you just connect with – it has a certain serenity. I think if a work of art can give you a moment of peace, then viewers naturally respond to it.
