commission portrait artist logo

Thursday 3 December 2015

Nicky Philipps picks her favourite portrait painters

Nicky Philipps's impressive commissions include a full length portrait of HM Queen Elizabeth II, which hangs in the Throne Room at Buckingham Palace, a double portrait of TRH's Princes William and Harry and Falklands hero Simon Weston OBE. Nicky has also recently starred in 'Goya - Visions of Flesh and Blood', a film that travels to significant places in Spain such as the Prado Museum in Madrid in order to enrich our understanding of Francisco de Goya's life and art. 

'Nicky Philipps paints portraits and still lifes which can be compared with those of John Singer Sargent in their freshness of application and clarity of drawing.' - Desmond Shawe - Taylor, Surveyor of The Queen's Pictures. 

Here, we bring together a selection of  treasured portraits by some of Nicky's favourite artists:

Anthony Van Dyck, 1559 - 1641

'Self-portrait by Sir Anthony van Dyck', 1640-1, © National Portrait Gallery, London

Diego Velazqzez, 1599 - 1660

'Portrait of Innocent X', Diego Velazquez, 1650

Rembrandt van Rijn, 1606 - 1669

'Self-portrait with two circles', Rembrandt Van Rijn, c. 1665 - 9 © English Heritage

Joshua Reynolds, 1723 - 1792

'The art of seeing Nature...is in reality the great object, the point to which all our studies are devoted.' - Sir Joshua Reynolds. 

'Sir Joshua Reynolds', Joshua Reynolds, c. 1747-9 © National Portrait Gallery, London  

Henry Raeburn, 1756 - 1823

Adam Ferguson (1723–1816)
'Adam Ferguson', Henry Raeburn c. 1790 © The University of Edinburgh Art Collection

Thomas Lawrence, 1769 - 183

'John Julius Angerstein', Sir Thomas Lawrence, c. 1790 © National Portrait Gallery, London   

Edouard Manet, 1832 - 1883

'A Bar at the Folies - Bergere', Edouard Manet, 1882 © The Samuel Courtauld Trust, The Courtauld Gallery, London

John Singer Sargent, 1856 - 1925

'Lady Agnew of Lochnaw', John Singer Sargent 1892 ©  National Galleries of Scotland

Philip de Laszlo, 1869 - 1937

Mrs Philip de László (nee Lucy Guinness) by Philip de László, 1918 Roy Fox Fine Art Photography - © de Laszlo Foundation
'Mrs Philip de Laszlo (nee Lucy Guinness)', Philipp de Laszlo, 1918, Rou Fox Fine Art Photography ©  de Laszlo Foundation

William Orpen, 1878 - 1931

'David Lloyd George, 1st Earl Lloyd - George of Dwyor, Prime Minister', William Orpen, 1927 © Tate Government Art Collection  

    Graham Sutherland, 1903 - 1980

    Graham Sutherland OM ‘Somerset Maugham’, 1949
© Tate
    'Somerset Maugham', Graham Sutherland, 1949 © Tate