For her latest series “Faces / point of view”, Suse Kohler also portrayed several members of the British royal family: King Charles and Queen Camilla, Prince William and Duchess Kate, as well as the young royals George, Charlotte and Louis. The title “Faces” says it all, for faces are the artist’s trademark and passion. For her series “Machtköpfe”, she painted all German chancellors from Konrad Adenauer onwards; for “Behind”, strong female painters such as Georgia O’Keeffe and Louise Bourgeois; and for her “Seemänner”, personalities such as Franz Josef Strauß, Leo Slezak and Ludwig Thoma. And now, the Royals – in acrylic and in colour – always with a wink, as she explains in the interview.

MOMENTE MAGAZINE:
Seafarers, strong women, power heads – and now the Royals. How did you arrive at this subject?

SUSE KOHLER:
I am always looking for new faces. That has always been my theme, and it still is. The idea for this subject came about by chance, in front of the television: on the day of Charles and Camilla’s coronation, on 6 May. We had been invited to a confirmation with the family and kept zapping back to the ceremony from time to time. I certainly would not describe myself as a royal fan, but one is curious after all …

And I think many people feel the same way I do. On the one hand, there is this incredible pomp. All of London, carriages, crowns, uniform buttons polished to a shine. The entire ceremony is immensely elaborate, and it seems a little absurd and out of step with the times. King Charles has no political power; his duties are more ceremonial in nature, and yet he is the most powerful institution. The monarchy is impossible to imagine England without. In the Commonwealth as a whole, perhaps less so. Difficult decisions will await him there.

On the other hand, King Charles also achieves a great deal of positive impact in areas such as climate protection, agriculture and many social projects. Perhaps this would not exist in this form otherwise. In this respect, this monarchy continues to move forward. I found this ambivalence very exciting. Besides, this coronation is a unique document of its time – and who knows whether we will ever experience something like it again.

MOMENTE MAGAZINE:
How long does it take to paint a royal?

SUSE KOHLER:
Since the ceremony was not very long ago, I have spent the past few weeks almost around the clock in my studio. The raindrops alone in the Kate painting took me two days. One raindrop, incidentally, represents a little tear from Princess Diana.

In total, five works were created, which are now being shown in the hotel’s rotunda. All are large-format, up to two metres. As in my earlier series, the focus is clearly on the eyes. For the eyes are the mirror of the soul, and the Royals have very expressive eyes, which, in my large-format works, come into their own particularly well. Above all, Duchess Kate. I saw her sitting in the carriage during the coronation and thought to myself: “What a beautiful woman.”

MOMENTE MAGAZINE:
What do King Charles’s eyes radiate? Power?

SUSE KOHLER:
In my opinion, not power at all. Personally, I have more the feeling that he is very calm and composed – just as the Queen was. And that is exactly what his eyes radiate.

In the work with Camilla, the two of them are shown wearing their crowns. A wonderful motif. Painting it gave me a great deal of pleasure. It would have been easy to depict it in a slightly exaggerated way, and I really had to restrain myself. But as a matter of principle, I do not caricature.

What moved me very much, however, was the motif with Charles and his son William: Charles leans on his son’s shoulder, and William holds him in his arms. I found this personal gesture so beautiful and loving, and it carries great symbolic value. He is the next heir to the throne and an important support for his father.

Another painting shows the children of William and Kate. Their faces dissolve somewhat, with the question in the back of one’s mind of how long the monarchy will still be able to endure. And first, of course, it will be William’s turn – and the Royals do generally live to a very old age …

MOMENTE MAGAZINE:
What is the message of the paintings?

SUSE KOHLER:
All in all, all the works should be seen with a wink. This time, I absolutely wanted to depict cheerfulness; that was my premise in these rather bleak times.

The series “Faces / point of view” also includes other works, however, such as the series “INS WEITE / War in Ukraine”. At the beginning of the war, we took in refugees in Wildbad Kreuth, which was a very moving time for me.

There is also a “Corona painting”: young women in a living room on a sofa, waiting and waiting, but nothing happens, while their elegant evening shoes stand beside them, also in a waiting position. My daughter inspired me to create this work.

In addition, I am presenting several paintings from my series “FACES & Stripes” and a number of portraits – all works were created in 2022 and 2023.

MOMENTE MAGAZINE:
What technique did you use for the Royals?

SUSE KOHLER:
The works are acrylic on canvas – portraits, but also figurative. They feature very luminous and expressive colours that lift the mood.

MOMENTE MAGAZINE:
When are you most creative?

SUSE KOHLER:
In the past, I was more of a night worker; today, I mostly paint during the day. But for the series “Faces / point of view”, as I said, it often went late into the night as well.

As a rule, I paint until the respective picture is finished. I have to finish it, because I think myself so deeply into these faces and try to bring out the personality. I sleep, eat something quickly and then continue painting. When I paint, I am entirely in my own world. And I only leave that world again once the painting is finished. It is something entirely of its own.

MOMENTE MAGAZINE:
Do you also look people in the eyes first?

SUSE KOHLER:
Yes, but besides the eyes, there is something else as well. I also find gestures and voice very important.

MOMENTE MAGAZINE:
Do you sometimes become a princess yourself – and if so, in which moments?

SUSE KOHLER:
laughs I don’t think I will ever become a princess, and I do not want to be one either. I prefer to be behind the scenes. I was not even a princess at carnival in the past. I love action.

I certainly do not want to suggest that the Royals’ lives are not eventful. On the contrary, I believe they have enormous tasks to fulfil: constantly giving something to society is quite a burden. Always representing. That would not be for me.

MOMENTE MAGAZINE:
Could other monarchies or aristocrats perhaps come next?

SUSE KOHLER:
I do find Charlotte Casiraghi, the daughter of Caroline of Hanover, fascinating – she is incredibly beautiful and also has wonderful eyes. But I think, for now, that is enough of this subject.

I will now travel again, because that has been neglected in recent years, and I will use travelling once more as a source of inspiration. But I will definitely remain faithful to faces.