Names and faces

Saturday, January 12, 2013

— The Duchess of Cambridge, the former Kate Middleton, seems to like her first official portrait, which is lucky for the artist. Many critics don’t. Paul Emsley’s portrait of the duchess shows the 31-year-old royal against a dark background, her lips pursed into a wry smile, with an ethereal light against her face and hair. Her pale complexion brings out the fine lines under the eyes, and the light adds a hint of silver to her rich brown hair. Shortly after the portrait was unveiled Friday at the National Portrait Gallery in London, critics began grousing. Guardian arts writer Charlotte Higgin said the portrait had a “sepulchral gloom” about it. “Kate Middleton is - whatever you think of the monarchy and all its inane surrounding pomp - a pretty young woman with an infectious smile, a cascade of chestnut hair and a healthy bloom,” she wrote in a post to her newspaper’s website. “So how is it that she has been transformed into something unpleasant from the Twilight franchise?” Some artists had praise for Emsley’s work. “I liked it, very much so,” said Richard Stone, who has frequently painted members of the royal family. “So often with official portraits they can be rather stiff and starchy, but this has a lovely informality about it, and a warmth to it.” In any case, Emsley appeared to have won over his most important audience. Kate, who was with her husband, Prince William, at the gallery earlier Friday, called the portrait “just amazing.” William liked it, too, saying it was “absolutely beautiful.”

Britney Spears said Friday that she has made the “difficult decision” to leave Fox’s The X Factor after one season. The pop singer said in a statement that she had an incredible time working on the singing contest but that it was time to get back into the studio to record. It was widely reported Thursday that Spears and X Factor were parting ways after a season in which the show’s ratings fell and Spears received lackluster reviews as a panelist. Fellow panelist Antonio “L.A.” Reid previously announced that he was leaving, giving creator-executive producer Simon Cowell two spots to fill. Demi Lovato is expected to rejoin Cowell on the show. Spears, 31, said she was proud of the young X Factor contestants she helped counsel but that watching them on stage each week made her miss performing. “I can’t wait to get back out there and do what I love most,” she added.

Front Section, Pages 2 on 01/12/2013