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In 1987, Arthur George Carrick, a unknown artist, submitted work for consideration in the Summer Exhibition, one of Britain’s most important art shows. Held annually at the Royal Academy in London, the exhibition gives amateurs a chance to see their work alongside paintings by world famous artists. Thousands of Britons submit works each year and almost all are rejected; however, the organisers clearly saw something special in Carrick’s tiny watercolor and chose it over 12,250 other entries to go into the show.
What the curators didn’t know was that “Arthur George Carrick” was a fake name. The real artist was the man who on Saturday May 6th 2023 was crowned as Britain’s new king - King Charles III.
King Charles started painting in the 1970s after he was inspired by a teacher at his school, Gordonstoun, in Scotland. He remains one of the UK’s most successful living artists. Aside from creating his own art, King Charles is also a patron of the arts, who has promoted emerging artists and inspired others to take up the brush and explore their own creative potential.
We saw no better a way to honour the coronation, than with our own Royal Portrait Competition, so that, indirectly, our own talented artists were inspired by King Charles’ Royal patronage!
In the days building up to the coronation, students worked in oils, pencils, water colours and a myriad of media to produce portraits of the new King. The twelve best, from across the school, were chosen by our panel of three judges to be exhibited in our new Royal Gallery.
On Monday 8th May, our winners, their parents and special guests from across our city gathered together to witness the unveiling of the artwork. With food, speeches, and performances in keeping with the event from Jaehoon on the piano and Lillian and Manon, whose choral piece by Purcell proved to be mesmerizing, it was a wonderful morning, capped by the winners receiving comemerative medals recognizing the event day.
We would like to congratulate the new King and our winners – Serena, Thomas, Olivia, Tina, Yuri, Junseo, Alice, Yuni, Cathy, Jesse, Julia and Yuki - and our guests who chose to mark the occasion from the Foreign Affairs Office, Jiangning’s Entry-Exit Bureau , our Parent Association, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, Nanjing’s finest hotels: Jumeirah Hotel, The Fairmont Hotel and Naked Hills resorts, as well as representatives from Sony, Tales on Moon Lane and St John’s College School.
