Of Interest December 8, 2009 Jill I am obsessed with these Platon photographs of world leaders. How amazing are those? The full-sized versions in the print magazine are even more stunning. I also love this Platon series from last year. Image 16 in particular has stuck in my mind.
Most of the people featured look surprisingly unpleasant, even though I don’t get that impression from other pictures of them (with exceptions, i.e. Berlusconi).
Really? I thought they all looked very pleasant and nice, just serious. Including the brutal dictators and ideologues.
Bachelet of Chile makes me happy. She looks so confident and in charge! Berlusconi, PM of Italy looks totally smarmy! OMG! Hugo Chavez is (predictably) scary looking, but I love the PM of Ireland, Cowen! Let’s have a pint! In general, I find myself responding favorably to the world leaders that look like professors, and that is a lot of them. Interesting, thanks!
Personally, I’m facinated with these images on multiple levels. Its not only fascinating to see various world leaders, but what the photographer does with the pictures. THey did an interview of him on NPR and its adds more to this. Some things that come to mind are, why did he represent each leader as he did? Some are obvious (for instance, with Chavez, he narrowed in the focus on the face and altered the lighting to make Chavez look dark and forbidding) but others less so. He had the chance to snap more than one picture of these leaders. Why did he put some in black and white, some in color, some in sepia tones? Why did he pick an image for some that showed the face, the body, the shoulders. Some of the shots he chose had the leaders focusing at the camera, some smiling, etc. Why these pictures, in this way? What is the photographer trying to convey about the world leaders? Its interesting.
Dr Confused — Probably because those were the best ways to show the inner identity of the portrait subjects. For some people, the view of them in a color print reveals what the photographer feels is a “truer” portrait then the B&W print. Or vice versa. I love the drama and mystery that comes from making a B&W portrait. But sometimes, for some subjects, the tinting of shade of color is more revealing than the change in gray toning of B&W. It’s an artistic decision. (on the other hoof, where there’s art There Will Be Subtext)