At the National Portrait Gallery in London, there’s a famous face for everyone. History buffs can cast a critical eye over an unsigned portrait of Anne Boleyn; those with stronger stomachs might enjoy Marc Quinn’s Self, a cast of the artist’s head made from his own blood, frozen and refrigerated in a suspension of silicone oil. There’s plenty here for music lovers too: amid the album covers and portraits of David Bowie and Adele there are more rarefied sitters such as Benjamin Britten and Lord Snowdon’s portrait of Janet Baker. None of these immortal works, however, have induced a thrill in Rakewell quite like the gallery’s newest addition: the portrait that graces the cover of Lily’s Allen’s latest album, West End Girl.
Allen’s first album in more than seven years, released last October, shocked (and, if we’re honest, delighted) listeners with its brutal account of Allen’s four-year marriage to Stranger Things actor David Harbour. While it was the lyrics recounting Harbour’s alleged infidelity in granular detail that most captured global attention (try as they might, who can forget the supposed contents of that notorious Duane Reade bag?), Rakewell was especially drawn to the album’s cover, which featured a stunning oil portrait of the singer by Spanish artist Nieves González.
González has often spoken of the influence of the Spanish baroque on her work. Whether she is depicting celebrities, friends or more saintly subjects such as Mary Magdalene, she paints her figures with dramatic faces and often religious poses against tenebrous backgrounds. It is up to the viewer to decide if Allen, seated against a dark background, rises to the state of sainthood. Clad in a blue puffer jacket with white polka dots and a matching pair of spotted boots, she peers out from beneath her baby bangs with a steely expression. The puffer has become something of a fixture in González’s works; she goes so far as to say that it symbolises ‘armour and comfort, protection and vulnerability’. The coat Allen sports in the painting is said to be inspired by a Miu Miu jacket, though it was given fresh life when she wore it in an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon – talk about life imitating art, as Vogue put it.
On loan from Allen’s personal collection, the portrait will be on view at the NPG for the next year, where viewers can delight in its speckled glory as they listen to Allen’s mocking role-play of one of Harbour’s lovers in ‘Madeline’ or cringe over her disparaging musings in ‘4chan Stan’. To Harbour, Rakewell has just one piece of advice: best to steer clear of room 30 of the gallery’s first floor for the next 12 months.
