Brand New!! Simon Weston Portrait Unveiled At National Portrait Gallery

Simon Weston past times Nicky Philipps was unveiled inward the Balcony Gallery at the National Portrait Gallery this morning. It's the outset articulation committee past times the BBC as well as the National Portrait Gallery . It also represents a major footstep forrad inward price of the representation of people who direct keep experienced facial disfigurement inward the permanent collection of the Gallery.

The portrait is the upshot of a poll to uncovering the private who should live honoured with the "People's Portrait". 12 candidates were identified ( run into goal )and as well as then the keen British populace - or at to the lowest degree those watching the One Show on BBC1 - got to vote for the mortal they idea should live honoured with a portrait. 

The winner was Simon Weston, the Falklands veteran who suffered 46% burns to his trunk when the Sir Galahad when it was destroyed at Bluff Cove inward the Falklands Islands inward 1982.

Simon Weston was born inward Caerphilly as well as joined the Welsh Guards inward 1978, aged sixteen. In 1982 he was aboard RFA (Royal Fleet Auxiliary) Sir Galahad inward Port Pleasant inward the Falkland Islands when it came nether privy during the Bluff Cove air attacks. Of his platoon, 22 members lost their lives, as well as Weston suffered 46% burns to his trunk as well as face. He underwent to a greater extent than than lxx operations to reconstruct his face, as well as credits his identify unit of measurement as well as former regiment with helping him overcome extreme psychological trauma. He became a pop media personality, as well as is a author as well as patron of a release of charities supporting people living with disfigurements, including the Healing Foundation.

The framer, the sitter (Simon Weston), the portrait painter (Nicky Phillips)
and the BBC reporter/presenter (Fiona Bruce)

The procedure of icon the portrait - from committee to unveiling - is also the dependent area of a BBC behind-the-scenes documentary presented past times Fiona Bruce. This hr long programme volition live broadcast on sun 13th April. As the creative mortal told me this morning, she wasn't allowed to touching on the canvass unless the cameras were rolling!  she also commented that icon to a BBC deadline was a new experience.

The portrait was completed inward viii x 2 hr sittings betwixt Oct as well as Dec 2013 inward Nicky Philipp's London studio. She painted it alla prima, every bit is her custom, with no preliminary drawings. 

Simon commented to me that she seemed to live wearing out her shoe leather piece painting. He noted that she would brand ii or 3 marks as well as and then dorsum upwards to direct keep a expect - as well as and then brand ii or 3 to a greater extent than marks - as well as thence it would continue.

He's previously had his portrait painted every bit business office of the Sky Arts programme close icon portraits. He commented that with these programmes, the painter who painted fastest was ever at a keen wages as well as he didn't intend the procedure was fair to all the painters. However he felt the BBC's approach to filming the procedure of portrait icon was much improve as well as much fairer to the artist.  

The outset fourth dimension Simon Weston saw the icon was inward the gallery this morning.  The identify unit of measurement all wanted to know what his woman parent idea of it - as well as his woman parent told me "It's him to a t!"

In the portrait he's asset his medals inward his hands which were rattling badly damaged inward the explosion. They had patently lived inward his mother's solid for many years inward a Black Magic box.  Those medals forthwith include the OBE which he was awarded for all the coin he has raised for charity.

‘I felt it was of import to demonstrate Simon’s hands. They were badly burned but he yet has the operate of them, as well as I wanted to demonstrate him asset his medals. The brilliant pinkish-red of the OBE inward Simon’s hands, draped over the chair, brings a flash of color to the lower one-half of the icon which I experience is aesthetically satisfying’
Nicky Phillips

On the spot of the chair is the cap of a Welsh Guard. This is symbolic of all those other soldiers who were lost when the Sir Galahad was attacked - simply every bit Simon's ain cap was lost at the time.

Simon Weston as well as his family

Currently the National Portrait Gallery is also hosting an exhibition of portraits associated with the First World War (see MAKING Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 MARK: "The Great War inward Portraits" - a review 26 February 2014). These include the pastel drawings of soldiers with trauamatic battle harm to their faces made by Henry Tonks - the Professor of Drawing at the Slade School of Art. He assisted Harold Gillies at the Queen's Hospital inward Sidcup inward Kent past times recording the progress made past times the soldiers piece Gillies went close the procedure of inventing plastic surgery as well as treating patients.  The exhibition includes Tonk's coloured pastel drawings amongst the dark as well as white photography of the same patients.

Patients treated past times Gillies as well as drawn past times Tonks

One idea which occurred to me this morning at the unveiling was what nosotros were told at the preview of WW1 exhibition. Apparently afterward the First World war, the soldiers who suffered harm to their faces were non treated every bit nation of war heroes every bit those who suffered the loss of limbs frequently were. Instead the monastic nation at the fourth dimension considered them every bit beingness people who needed to live kept out of sight - non jibe to live seen inward public.

It seems to me that i of the major achievements of Simon Weston has been the alter inward mental attitude inside this province inward relation to people with major facial disfigurements. 

His woman parent told me that when he came domicile to Wales, Securicor wanted to offering him a job. It turned out that the chore on offering was every bit a safety guard for or thence vaults inward a basement where he would live working a nighttime shift. 

It seems every bit if rattling piffling had changed since the goal of the First World War.

However, Simon's mental attitude to overcoming the challenge of what happened to him has enabled him to assist a lot of other people - able bodied as well as otherwise. He's been able to brand a career every bit a rattling pop populace speaker.

He is also forthwith i of Patrons of the charity 'Changing Faces' as well as I spoke to its founder as well as CEO this morning. James Partridge OBE told me 

"We're absolutely thrilled for the populace to pick out somebody they actually honor as well as direct keep empathy with. His appear upwards is enormously connected with dignity, push clit as well as inspiration"

He also told me that Simon is the outset mortal who has experienced pregnant facial disfigurement to direct keep a portrait added to the collection of the NPG.  The solely mortal prior to him was Richard Hillary, a fighter airplane pilot inward the Second World War whose pastel portrait was bequeathed to the Gallery past times his father.

The of import matter is that this portrait is of somebody who has been recognised for his difficult piece of work inward overcoming the challenge presented to him as well as who has gone on to assist as well as awful lot of other people. 

Tweet

Subscribe to receive free email updates: