Hyde Park Barracks, London — 9 August 2017RCIN 2119734
It is a moment of real significance for my non-profit archive that my portrait of Field Marshal The Lord Guthrie of Craigiebank has been accepted into the Royal Collection, among thirteen works from the archive now held within that institution. This was the first portrait of a British Field Marshal I ever made, and to see it enter the Royal Collection feels like the completion of a circle.
In 2017 I wrote to several living Field Marshals, seeking to document their likeness for posterity. To my great honour, Lord Guthrie — former Chief of the General Staff and later Chief of the Defence Staff — graciously agreed to sit. His career spanned decades of service with the Welsh Guards and the Special Air Service, with advisory roles during operations in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Kosovo; in 2012 he received the Field Marshal's baton from Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
I chose a deep red velvet backdrop, evoking the heritage of the Red Coat, and lit the portrait with directional, sculptural light. Shot from a low angle, Lord Guthrie stands towering and resolute — commanding, yet contemplative. The rank of Field Marshal, the most senior in the British Army since its introduction in 1736, is conferred sparingly and symbolically; this was not a portrait meant to flatter, but to document history. I drew on the lineage of Sir Thomas Lawrence and John Singer Sargent, and on the early photographic work of Alexander Bassano, who captured Field Marshal Haig.
This portrait exists thanks to the supporters of the Rory Lewis Non-Profit. Your donations cover the printing and production of these archival works and their gift, without fee, to permanent collections — and they are what allow me to continue this work with serving personnel and veterans. To support the archive, please visit rorylewis.studio/non-profit.
More of my work can be seen on my portraits page. Read more about Lord Guthrie on Wikipedia.
