Alexia Sinclair - The Regal Twelve

Alexia Sinclair’s The Regal Twelve is a series that combines hundreds of photographic elements and illustrations to form complex digitally montaged artworks. The series portrays twelve European monarchs who have ruled supreme and whose lives span over two millennia. Through the study of history and portraiture, a series of contrasting regals formed, whose stories are revealed within each artwork. 

An unusual blend of Royalty, this series features very few conventional rulers. Instead, The Regal Twelve is a diverse series that celebrates the famous, the infamous and the obscure. Selection was based on their contrasts in leadership, their flamboyancies and their enduring influence upon society. In a time when women generally held little power, these Artemis-like women ruled as both male and female. 

Alexia explains: Elizabeth - "The Virgin Queen" uses the game of chess to parallel Elizabeth's life, as her own survival as a monarch relied on the skilful manoeuvring of political forces. Elizabeth sits as a pawn, holding the orb and sceptre. These, along with the rings that cover her fingers are from the royal jewel collection and have been added post-production.Elizabeth's hair is pure illustration and is embellished with pearls. Used as an extension of her crown, Elizabeth's hair is also inspired by fifteenth century Italian ideals of beauty, where fantasy within the hair of a portrait symbolised goddess stature. The pearls are not limited to the hair though as they also cover the queen's ruff, dress and eyelids. The radiating halo is the ultimate symbol of Elizabeth's embodiment of the Virgin.

Reference: https://alexiasinclair.com/collections/the-regal-twelve#elizabeth-i

I find this image extremely powerful and intriguing, and that is without even reading Alexia's explanation and concept of the image! The physical arrangement of the image is very well done, and the props used simply add to the image. Everything about the image screams Elizabethan  but yet it still has a contemporary feel to it.

The thing that stands out to me is the hair - the vibrant red contrasts with the dark background and fairly neutral colours used throughout the rest of the image. The hair, to me, looks extremely complicated, and I find it mind-boggoling to look and think about how they have created the amount of volume they have, but in such a sleek and effective way. I like how the hair actually goes out to the side, and all of the pearls, the crown and other accessories hidden amongst the hair are positioned perfectly, with them not be too overwhelming, but at the same time, there is more than enough. 

Furthermore, I like how the hair almost comes across like it is the sun and it is beaming and giving off rays of light, that are the same vibrant colour of the hair. This instantly draws and directs your attention to the hair. 

This image is definitely Elizabethan, if not New Elizabethan and it certainly is very eye-capturing. The element of the image that I feel relates to my own design, is the use of the pearls which are stuck in amongst the hair - my design actually features a similar idea because I am having quite large pearls pushed into the bun in my design also.