Who Am I?
While browsing through CNN.com, I found a “top ten” type of list that displayed the most popular stories that were posted on CNN website. The story shown on the link above caught my eye because it discusses the endless social networks out there on the web and how painters are gaining clients that want portraits done from looking at his/her Facebook and Twitter photos. People want to have their portraits done by using digital images or photos. The article explains how people will choose a digital image for an artist to use for their portrait and they will purchase it. Some will want to be painted as a character, such as you would see in a comic book. Others will want to be portrayed as an avatar or other character.
Reading and considering the reasons behind the decisions for these portraits brought up other thoughts about who this is affecting. With all of the images in the media such as magazines, television, and the internet, has our idea of the perfect body changed or have we just found a way to change our “image” via portraits? Are people scared to show their real identities on the internet, or are people obsessed with looking or being someone else?
One example of how people want to change their appearance is seen on a website for the new television show Mad Men. The website allows viewers to create a character that will look like one of the men or women on the show. The options and combinations are immense. The individual can specify many aspects of the character’s appearance such as the nose, hair, eyes, outfit, head shape, body shape, accessories, and lips.
I wonder how these images could disguise our real identities when we interact on social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. I also think about the younger adolescents that are using these tools as well. Their ideas of identity could become mixed up and jumbled with all of the exposure they have to the media.
Check out MadMenYourself! It will surprise you!
I loved the article about the man who paints portraits of Facebook photos. I like this concept because it will capture the spirit of what a person is or what they think they are. However, I don't know if I'd like to have my picture painted by someone who I don't know.
ReplyDeleteI think almost everyone is obsessed with being someone else. I know I don't put an unflattering picture of myself up on Facebook because I want people to think I look good all the time. But I, like almost everyone, take bad pictures on occasion. That is just the way people are. Since Facebook is kind of a sterilized, fantasy world, they want to make themselves more perfect than they really are.
This is a very interesting article. I have never heard before your blog post of someone painting portraits by going off of a Facebook photo. Like you said, are they trying to achieve a better image of themselves? The picture could be from a few months ago to a few years ago and they are trying so hard to capture how they looked in that moment rather that dealing with how they look in the present time. The importance of one’s image is everywhere. Starting from TV, newspapers, movies, and magazines to just how other people interact with each other. A lot of friendships or relationships start from first appearances and not about what they have in common. Younger and younger kids are learning how important their image is to be perfect that they are obsessing over it and you are finding younger kids with problems. On the other hand, if you are just doing it to commemorate a special event such as a graduation or a wedding and would like a portrait of that time then I think this would be a great idea. You can’t recreate something like that once the moment has passed and having a hand painting of it would be pretty neat.
ReplyDelete