Contemporary Elizabethan Figure

After researching into Elizabethan portraiture and discovering symbolism of objects, makeup and styling, I have chosen my contemporary Elizabethan figure to be Beyonce. The fact that her artist name doesn’t need to Beyonce Knowles alone tells us her status and fame. Beyonce is the woman that men want to be with and women want to be. She is massively classy and holds so much power. She reminds me of Elizabeth I because of how powerful she is as a woman and how much stance and respect she owns.  

Here is a very ideal image of Beyonce which highly replicates an Elizabethan portrait.

The image speaks for itself. She looks regal, strong, powerful, dominating yet feminine and beautiful. There isn’t a whole lot more that could be done to this image to create a more contemporary Elizabethan portrait of Beyonce as she captures it fully with this promo for her ‘Mrs Carter Tour’.  

Lady Gaga is another example of a contemporary Elizabethan figure. I believe that she is also a very powerful woman within society and often makes extremely influencing statements and is followed by millions of fans. She is a strong and powerful woman who creates her own mark on most things. Her styling is incredibly unique and outrageous and often symbolic of something. Like in most Elizabethan portraits, there is a lot of symbolism incorporated within. This reminds me of Lady Gaga so much because her outfits, hair and makeup are often either to promote a new single, make a political statement or just to cause outrage and discussion.


Bob Marley – one of the most influential musicians of the 20^th century. I believe he was a New Elizabethan because I truly believe he changed music forever. His music has influenced so may people’s lives and has also changed the way people create music at this current time. His outlook on life was that he just wanted to enjoy himself and make the most of everything he had. His songs are still played today, years after his death and his music still inspires many up and coming artists.

“Bob Marley influenced the youth in the United States and Europe and was considered as a prophet by Rastafarians. Most of his songs were about freedom, justice, fighting for rights and dignity. A Rastafarian is a follower of the teachings of Marcus Garvey who believed in the teachings by King Haile Selassie who was also known as Ras Tafari.”

http://uk.ask.com/question/who-did-bob-marley-influence

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