This version of “The Ugly Duchess” I made as a present to myself and for an exhibition of portraits in 2017. I first saw Matysis’ work in the National Gallery, London, when I was sixteen and it made a terrific impression upon me without knowing what it meant, why it had been painted or indeed, anything about its interesting history and associations.[...]
This version of “The Ugly Duchess” I made as a present to myself and for an exhibition of portraits in 2017. I first saw Matysis’ work in the National Gallery, London, when I was sixteen and it made a terrific impression upon me without knowing what it meant, why it had been painted or indeed, anything about its interesting history and associations. It is of additional interest to me now because the Duchess' extraordinary appearance may be linked, according to Michael Baum and others, with Paget’s disease (osteitis deformans). A further idea, is that the portrait represents a cross-dressing man. However, the title of my version “Rosebud” highlights the Duchess' search for a suitor as symbolized by the flower in her right hand. Interestingly, the work also inspired John Tenniel's illustration in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.