https://www.instagram.com/p/BkkTorBDyop/?taken-by=paintphotographs
This question was asked by friends and family, when we started this project. After all, people have mobile in their pockets and take selfies all the time while eating, catching up with friends, going to the theatre, and so on. So why will people want a portrait?
Indeed it’s an interesting question. And our reasoning was counter intuitive. Because people take so many photos all the time, and post it on their social media, the really cherished photos, the moments, get lost in the time line, buried under newer & newer social media posts and ultimately fades from memory. Indeed the selfie culture has given rise to the movement of impermanence, where everything is recorded but nothing is remembered. Where the real treasured moments gets buried and forgotten under the irrelevant noise.
A good hand painted oil portrait or sketch makes that cherished moment permanent. It adds depth and personality to the subject, in a way that no HD camera or selfie, can ever hope to capture. A brush stroke of an accomplished artist, can add a shadow under the eye, to make it more mysterious, a flick of the brush, can enhance the smile and make it more appealing. An artist adds to the personality of the subject, adds to the grandeur of the moment and adds permanence to the moment.
And that’s why you need an oil painting, gracing your walls, in front of you always, reminding you of the ‘good old days’, a sign of permanence, in the ever changing and uncertain world. A place for your treasured memories, for you to cherish forever, long after the selfie was posted, consumed by likes, shares & comments, and then forgotten.
This post was triggered by a Bloomberg article here:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-11-16/painted-portraits-are-the-new-selfie-cost-15-000