Though many portraits of the peacemaker, who died at the age of 85, exist, Mandela only posed for one artist — Riley.
Over the period of a year and a half, Riley met with Mandela in both Johannesburg and Cape Town. During the six sessions, Riley developed a rapport with the leader that has made a mark on the artist to this day.
Mandela was humble, witty, and interested in everything around him, Riley remembers. The painting was designed to benefit the poor children in stricken townships of South Africa — one of Mandela’s passions. In the end, the painting was auctioned and it brought in $1 million for the charity.
Read the entire BBC News article at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25257385.
During the sessions, Riley encouraged Mandela to act as natural as possible, encouraging the leader to read the newspaper, chat, or do anything else he might want to do. While Mandela did as he was instructed to, Riley sketched. It was from these many sketches that the final work was painted in lush, vivid colors. Riley confesses that he wasn’t sure where the final product was going until he saw it on canvas.
Consider enrolling in a class on portrait painting today. Instruction will center around accurately and candidly capturing your subject on canvas while exploring different skills and techniques needed to do so.