Portrait of Charles looks like hell.

[mellie]

Not overly sunny here in Ballarat J, and I must say, interesting dynamics you've forged here on PA.
Can I have a short essay ( preferably in dot-point) prose so as to bring me up to speed while I've been taking extended leave please.

Take your time, no hurry.
I'm not going anywhere.

[Jasin]

Ballarat! Well that's a change from way up north. Ballarat isn't bad either.

...so the Trolls from Monk's PA had basically sabotaged this PA. The weak spot was Redmond Neck as EL who, thinking they were 'good new friends', soon learned that they used him to infiltrate into here. Since then, things went down here fast. Black Orchid as EL was the last of the Golden Age. To cut a long essay short - Aussie was given EL here by FD, but as you know with Aussie - he grinds this place into the dirt with his usual 'Dictatorship' of total control freak methods. He even rigged the Election 'last year' and got away with it by stacking his count with his Socks. This year though - it was basically him v me and I knew I couldn't beat him at 'his' own game. So I played my own game and sure enough, with a little prayer by Bobby to the Divine Power above. Aussie was 'sacked'! I had x6 'legit' members voted for me. With his 'socks' voided, he only had two legits. Regardless - FD saw some real sense and handed EL over to me.
Black Orchid and Bobby have helped guide and support me until I got the hang of things and I basically got rid of the real Trolls and their Socks and the place has gained some really good new members. I also support a good female participation here where they will be respected and free to be with all equality and their own superiority in their own way. To me, that equals fun. Sparta has been resurrected and well, looky here - you and Skippy have appeared too!
Things have just being moving up and up for this Forum.

[mellie]

Well it sound's as though you've kicked a number of meaningful goals, and managed to restore a semblance of order here, and yes, I'm always up for a discussion, * still a chatterbox * and don't mind putting trolls in their place, when they're just talking dribble and becoming too tiresome, however as far as achieving superiority, or being an EL, ( or even a mod) naa, I'm not interested in this, never have been, I'm not tech savvy enough and I'm far too busy( usual mum drill + study again lol) but am pleased to see the place has actually matured a bit. I'm keen to discuss politics ( nothing's changed here) general banter, even puzzles, riddles, cryptic crosswords ( really miss old Noel Jessops grids though apparently his sons taken up his lamp) and of course current affairs although I usually have a thing or two to chirp on X these days too.

So... with elections looming, I hope we can expose & discuss some home and international truths, dig up dirt as always. My interests haven't changed much, it's just I'm more inclined to read alot more than I write now I guess.

Mantra still about?

Oh, and I'm officially converted, actually love Ballarat, and with it's chance of snow, ( however slight) there's just something special about this place. I especially like the predominantly Australian community feel, especially when we share similar value's, life experiences growing up, and we can relate with one another.
It's nice living in a vibrant yet relaxed regional city, having always lived in either Sydney or Melbourne.

[mellie]

Getting back to Charles portrait.
Well, it's pretty telling in that I think he knows that he's not going to see old bones, ( compared to his mother's)and it's obviously troubling him. Then there's the family dynamics having crumbled too. However I still think this portraits got a cryptic element, and he's conveyed the current global political climate, which is why I think he's trying to send us a message from beyond his impeding grave , his portrait- It's personal, yet it speaks to the entire world.

It's blisteringly angry, violent, threatening even, yet there's this weary resoluteness about it, as though he's succumbed to something that was always going to happen on his watch.

A hundred years from now, we'll have so many people's interpretations of it, it will be ridiculous.
Assuming we're in a position to be able to discuss the motivation behind his royal portrait the way we are now.

I find the lack-of-crown in both the portrait and on the coin a tad unsettling, along with his very complicated and earnest expression.
Something is wrong, this is clear, and I believe there's more to the portrait than his obvious concerns re- his cancer/mortality and family struggles.

What do you guys think about this?

I mean really think about it, aside from its apparent ugliness?

Red represents many things, few of which are good.

Remember this..." Appalling old Waxworks " ...

https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2006 ... -dissident

I'm inclined to think this portraits as complex as the king himself, and cryptic also.

[mellie]

Perhaps the butterfly which can represent transformation, beauty, rebirth, hope, freedom, endurance, and love is an ode to his one and only TRUE love, Queen Xaomilla. ... lol, Perhaps this is why she wears the crown and he doesn't.
This could have been a portrait essentially for her?
A portrait fit only for a queen?

Very doubtful, unfortunately I'm inclined to go with the layered effect, layers of different meaning.

He'll never tell ... not entirely, he is by nature a very private man.

[mellie]

Something on tradition...

https://wired.me/business/king-charles- ... -no-crown/

However, why no crown in his portrait also?

[mellie]

Arts subjectivity to interpretation is what makes it so interesting. We all see different things.
This could be said for most things, couldn't it.

[Jasin]

The lack of Crown seems to have him portray as not taking his 'reign' seriously and more like a Clayton's reign.
I mean, he's probably accepted long before he became King that his stint would be more like shutting the gate after the horse has bolted.
This is also what I felt when he had his very low key Coronation as if it was just a crown for a day, before forwarding it onto his son William for a more lengthy and serious reign.
Charles has always been alright in my books. Always involved in Humanities and used his 'Prince' title to full effect to help many in the world.
There was no way he was going to live up to the standard set by his Mother and her very long reign.
The Media never really favoured him and really made Diana shine brighter far more than she really deserved (considering she was a gold-digger arranged set up by the Spencer Family who still try to undermine the Windsors from times long ago).

Red is the Colour of Art. ("Paint the town red." as they say.) Let alone Aviation.