“A picture is worth a thousand words,” this is a saying that is often use in the art world, since a picture can tell essentially tell a story. However, in reality, the story told in a picture representations only the story the photographer wants to tell and not the story of the characters or objects a photo. I have obtain this realization after reading “Every Portrait Tells a Lie.” The article is mind opening and makes one think about what the characters in a photo are really thinking behind the scene that the photographer created. I like to think of the characters in a photo as actors and the photographer as the director. The director sets the scenes and capture the characters in a idealized way in which the photo tells the story that was imagined by the director. For instance in the picture below it appears as if a regular family is casually taking an exciting, joyful holiday picture. However, in reality the father of the child has probably just arrived home from a long day of work and is extremely tired. The smile that he presented most likely took all the energy he had left in him. The mother of the child was probably nagging her husband about arriving home late for the holiday and not putting his shoes on the shoe rack,not too long ago. However, since women excel at fake smiling, the smile that she pulled off in the photo took little to no effort for her. The little girl in the photo is secretly thinking “When will this picture be over with? I hate taking pictures.”
However, despite all the feeling and thoughts that may be going through the minds of the people in the picture, the photographer still managed to display the family has a wholesome, joyful family when in fact they may be a completely dysfunctional family of three. This is why people like taking photos, because they can idealize themselves and be something they are not. In a photo, one can remain young forever and achieve immortality, but in reality immortality is impossible. Pictures and portraits tell lies in that sense, because in those images one can be metamorphosed into someone they are not. I think that a picture or portrait of a person can be but may not be the mirror image of that person.
Relating this back to Sargent and his portraits, I believe that Sargent did paint portraits of certain people according to the impression that he wanted to give off. For example, in his Madame X, painting one could theorize that Madame X in real life, may have been more overweight and tan than what was presented in the portrait. However, Sargent used his imagination and paint brush to create the flawless body and skin complexion in the portrait, thus idealizing the body structure of Madame X. Although I do not see anything wrong with idealizing an image in picture or portraits, the next time I look at an image I will try to uncover the truth that lies under the lies in the image.
You said you have no problem with “idealizing an image in picture or portrait”. In history there are many artists and periods that tried to be more accurate to reality as well as artists who only created perfect images/sculptures. Which would you think is better? Perfection is admirable, but boring in a way. Reality is familiar to us, though perhaps we want to gaze upon perfection every once in a while. Do you think Sargent idealized most of his artwork? If he did, why do you think Madame X stood out the most? If he did not, do you think the perfection was the prominent reason Madame X became popular?
It is interesting that you say that people use pictures so they “can be metamorphosed into someone they are not”. They can create the more ideal self who they want to be. I guess that is why there are apps on smart phones that can put a full face of make up on or make pimples disappear. People want to remember themselves to be someone perfect and someone without flaws.
I find it interesting that you want to uncover the truth that lies behind portraits. Not only are their “lies” in portraits but their are also “lies” in every single advertisement we see day in and day out. Ads always attempt to make a product seem perfect and amazing when in fact they are not. Companies strive for perfection to try and increase sales of whatever their selling. I wonder what the inspiration was for Sargent to make the stylistic choices he did to make Madame X look so flawless.