Joanne Kathleen ('J.K.') Rowling

Joanne Kathleen ('J.K.') Rowling

by Stuart Pearson Wright
oil on board construction with coloured pencil on paper, 2005
38 1/4 in. x 28 3/8 in. (972 mm x 720 mm)
Commissioned as part of the First Prize, BP Portrait Award, 2001, 2005
Primary Collection
NPG 6723

Sitter

Joanne Kathleen ('J.K.') Rowling (1965-), Writer. Sitter in 5 portraits.

Artist

Stuart Pearson Wright (1975-), Artist. Artist of 15 portraits, Sitter in 1 portrait.

This Portrait

The artist began this portrait of J. K. Rowling in early 2004, when he paid several visits to the writer's Scottish home. Pearson Wright observed his subject, made sketches, sometimes while the author was at work, and took photographs for reference. Rowling is seated at a table, suggestive of the setting where the author famously wrote her first novel and where she occasionally still writes. The narrative alludes to Rowling's public and private self both as a writer, who has made an enormous impact on children's imaginations the world over, and as a mother - the eggs represent her own three children. Rowling's other worldly youthful presence in a surreal and disconcertingly distorted space calls to mind another children's classic, Alice in Wonderland. The painted sky beyond the window suggests a passage of time and illusionism that resonates with the Potter stories. In creating a three dimensional scene the artist has been influenced by eighteenth-century toy theatres and the boxes of Joseph Cornell.

Linked Publications

Cooper, John, A Guide to the National Portrait Gallery, 2009, p. 59
Howgate, Sarah and Nairne, Sandy, A Guide to Contemporary Portraits, 2009, p. 36
Nairne, Sandy; Howgate, Sarah, The Portrait Now, 2006, p. 99

Subjects & Themes

Chairs
Commissions - Paintings and Drawings
Commissions from the Portrait Award
Drinking and eating
Flowers and plants