The largest-ever exhibition of paintings by Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, is currently on display in London. On view at the Garrison Chapel in the former Chelsea Barracks, it features 79 watercolours of landscapes in England, Scotland, France, Tanzania and more.
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In wall text written for the exhibition, Charles explains how watercolour painting enables him to refocus his energies:
"You become increasingly aware of things that may have escaped your attention previously - things like the quality of light and shade, of tone and texture and of the shape of buildings in relation to the landscape. It all requires the most intense concentration and, consequently, is one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercises I know."
“Quite simply, I experienced an overwhelming urge to express what I saw through the medium of watercolour and to convey that almost ‘inner’ sense of texture, which is impossible to achieve via photography,” the royal says in the wall text.
“I am under no illusion that my sketches represent great art or a burgeoning talent,” he writes in the wall text. “They represent, more than anything else, my particular form of ‘photograph album’ and, as such, mean a great deal to me.”
A self-described “enthusiastic amateur,” Charles is actually one of the most financially successful living artists in the UK. Between 1997 and 2016, an investigation by Robert Mendick of The Telegraph found that prints of the prince’s paintings sold for a total of more than £6 million (around $8.9 million today). All proceeds went to the Prince’s Foundation, which supports a range of charitable endeavours.
All proceeds from his current exhibition will also go to the Prince's Foundation.
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