The phrase "a distorted portrait of" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe an inaccurate or misleading representation of a person, situation, or concept.
Example: "The article presented a distorted portrait of the events that transpired, failing to capture the true essence of the situation."
Alternatives: "a skewed depiction of" or "a misrepresented image of".
"Citizen Kane" happens to be a distorted portrait of Hearst, but it has for generations suborned our perceptions because Kane was created by an artist.
The $7 billion campaign, part of a Chinese Communist Party bid to expand the country's soft power, is based in part on the notion that biased Western news media have painted a distorted portrait of China.
The new-media assault, say Starbucks officials, presents a distorted portrait of management's collaborative relationship with its "partners," a reference to the company's 135,000 U.S. workers.
Mr. Roth turned out a gruesomely distorted portrait of each member.
In many ways, it paints a wholly distorted portrait of crime levels.
In a rather different mood, at Crane Kalman there is a punchy, viciously distorted portrait of Dora Maar by Picasso.
In which case, why project these insights through distorted portraits of real people?
Other works that stand out include Mr. Aitchison's simplified, mystical landscape of Holy Island off western Scotland, revisited in memory; Ms. Rego's grotesquely distorted portraits of oddly clothed women who seem to be victims of mysterious circumstances; and Mr. Wonnacott's ingeniously angled, atmospheric portraits of himself and his family.
Disgraced former spy David Shayler at the time attacked her for writing a distorted, anodyne portrait of her career.
Beck devoted time on a whopping 16 shows to crafting a distorted, despicable portrait of Van that few who know him would recognize.
When Véra read a manuscript of the book, in 1973, she objected to what she considered a lifeless and distorted portrait.
