Eyes wide shut can reveal inner truth, says Queen artist

They say eyes are the window to the soul. All the more so when they are closed, believes Chris Levine.

The artist is best known for his 2004 portrait of the Queen with her eyes shut, a work he entitled Lightness of Being.

This led to a series of portraits of other famous people with their eyelids squeezed together, including Kate Moss, Naomi Campbell, Grace Jones and the Dalai Lama.

Levine, 56, believes these portraits reveal more about a sitter than when their eyes are wide open.

“There is something about it,” he said. “You just seem to make a deeper connection. It seems more centred and heartfelt. It has just struck a chord. I find I make a much more soulful connection and people…