SKETCH
Paul Emsley’s
Portrait of
Nelson Mandela E
Portraying what is perhaps the most famous face in the world in such a way that it not only captures the essence of the man
but complies to the highest standards of
technical integrity too, was undoubtedly
the greatest challenge ever faced by artist Paul Emsley. Words: TONI ACKERMANN Images: © PAUL EMSLEY
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PRE S TI G e
msley recounts the journey: “About a year and a half ago I conceived of the idea of doing a portrait drawing of Nelson Mandela. I had seen many portraits of him but I felt that there was the need for a work that would be serious enough to do justice to such an iconic figure. I was aware that it would be wise to move fairly quickly due to Mr Mandela's age. I learnt that it was extremely difficult to obtain access to him. Various avenues were attempted before success was finally achieved. In October 2009 I was given a 10-minute slot to take a series of photographs. “There were some difficulties and uncertainties, Mr Mandela being understandably rather tired of being photographed. I was asked not to use flash and there was also a small possibility that he would not feel up to coming to the appointment on that particular day. After flying from London to Johannesburg with all my equipment I was allowed some time in his office to prepare for the session before his arrival. Fortunately there was good natural light coming from one side, which was essential as all my work is based upon the way in which light and shadow falls across the surface of an object. “When Mr Mandela arrived I was taken into his office. He was as engaging and warm as I had expected. He had about him a definite atmosphere of benevolent authority. I had to ask him to stop smiling as my intention was to do a fairly ‘serious’ portrait. I managed 14 photographs. In the first group he was still smiling but in the second there remained a halfsmile as he became more serious. These