Controversy Over Kate Middleton's Portrait

Kate Middleton

"Ordinary, dull and old" were some of the kinder words used to describe Kate's first official portrait. "Lifeless" "ghastly" and "dissapointing" were also adjectives thrown out to describe the work by Paul Emsley, an award-winning artist who painted Middleton, 31, against his trademark black background with a slight smile, or smirk, and lines visible around her face.
Now Emsley, who said at the time he wanted to capture Middleton's natural beauty, is fighting back against the harsh critiques that caused the portrait to become an online sensation, for all the wrong reasons."At first the attacks were so vicious that there was a point where I myself doubted that the portrait of the duchess was any good," Emsley, 75 "But now I've had time to reflect, I am still happy with it and am getting on with my life there is nothing I would have changed."
 Prince William called the portrait “absolutely beautiful.” Waldermar Januszczak, an art critic, however dissagrees he says the portrait "made her look older than she is and her eyes don’t sparkle in the way that they do and there’s something rather dour about the face.” Emsley conclusion says, "I believe half the problem is the portrait doesn't photograph well and I would encourage people to go and see it at the National Portrait Gallery,