
"that time when she said there was no such thing as society; that time when she snatched milk from primary-schoolchildren; that amazing pro-EU jumper she had; all those times when she wasn't for turning. It's one of those days when you're supposed to stick to the stuff we can all agree on, such as: whatever you think of her policies, she was a one-off."
"Last week, I went to the opening of The Iron Lady: The Legacy Paintings, an exhibition by the artist Lorna May Wadsworth, who, although I don't know her, I'm medium sure is not a Thatcher superfan. She was the last artist to paint Thatcher before she died, but she has also painted Tony Blair, David Blunkett and Rowan Williams. She's a portraitist. They rise above petty stuff like what people said and what people did, the better to immortalise them."
"Another of Wadsworth's fetched 400,000 in 2014. It's 6ft square, and hangs in Conservative Campaign Headquarters, bearing down on the party with memories of past glories, like a gigantic rebuke. These smaller (let's call them normal-sized) ones are essentially the same image with Warholian variations a gold background, a blue one, an iron one; it's surprising how many colours are quintessentially Thatcherite for those who really, really love her."
On Margaret Thatcher’s centenary many people recall defining, polarising moments: claiming 'there is no such thing as society', school milk cuts, her pro-EU jumper, and her resolve. Thatcher's image is treated as singular and timeless by supporters, while wider public appreciation diverges sharply. Portraitist Lorna May Wadsworth painted Thatcher and other political figures; her large Thatcher portrait hangs in Conservative Campaign Headquarters and fetched 400,000 in 2014. Smaller variants echo Warholian repetition with different coloured backgrounds, reinforcing iconography. Conservative events have elevated Thatcher memorabilia into shrines, with cutouts, kitsch souvenirs and reverent displays that suggest almost religious devotion.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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