![]() As artistically masterful as Graham Sutherland’s painting was, it did not account for this. Whether capturing a leaders image in a painting, a statue or even in text, the standard is to always to be portrayed as bold, strong and intelligent. This is an element that leaders throughout history and across cultures have been acutely aware of. In London, both Houses of Parliament have assembled in Westminster Hall to celebrate the occasion. 30 November 1954 The scene is familiar to students of Churchill’s life. ![]() For some an image of a leader is more than just a brand, it is the representational embodiment of an entire culture. By DAVE TURRELL SeptemThe short-lived Sutherland portrait, 1954. Celia remembered: 'We all sat down to a subdued breakfast and listened to the. ![]() As a result, it does not take long for the leader or the power structure as a whole to have their position challenged in various ways. After a couple of false alarms ('each time he rallied'), Churchill died on the morning of the 24th of January 1965. A leader that is perceived as frail or weak is both consciously and unconsciously unsettling for the members of a power structure. It is forever intertwined with that of the image and the history of the power structure as a whole, most especially for power structures who have joined the ranks of global empire-ship. Why did he do that? Those who have climbed the heights of large scale power structures know that the image of a leader is a vital cornerstone of their position. After the painting’s official unveiling and presentation at Westminster Hall on Churchill’s 80th birthday, it was taken to Chartwell House, Churchill’s private country home where it was never displayed and eventually burned. Churchill contacted Sutherland to state that the painting would not be used as it was unsuitable, but he was persuaded by Conservative MP Charles Doughty, that the presentation had to go ahead to avoid offending the members of Parliament who'd paid for it. Once he had completed of the painting, Lady Spencer-Churchill, Winston Churchill’s wife, viewed it and took a photograph back to her husband, which he immediately disliked as being deeply unflattering. Sutherland, who had been commissioned by members of the British House of Commons and the House of Lords was to paint a full length portrait of the then Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. More Winston Churchill, statesman, soldier and writer who twice served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, once had his portrait painted by modernist English artist Graham Sutherland.
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