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Monday, December 7, 2009

Politics / Arts Portraits of Power

Posted by Anthony Hecht on Mon, Dec 7, 2009 at 9:54 AM

The New Yorker has a fascinating series of portraits of world leaders at the U.N. by photographer Platon, with commentary.

Screen-shot-2009-12-07-at-9.36.03-AM.jpg

Comments (16) RSS

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I was excited to see this. Ever since Hillary failed to become president my daughter has asked from time to time will there ever be a girl president. I had been to lazy to track them down myself (for which I am now rightly ashamed) and then viola! Portraits of Girl Presidents show up in my mail.

Thanks again New Yorker!!!

Bonus points for encouraging the reading and processing powers of a seven year old - to wit - She loves reading the New Yorker cartoons and making with this loud and seemingly faked guffaw. I used to laugh along but recently have started telling her "I don't get it". She then tries to explain it to me. It is sort of remarkable the processing that is going on behind the "Getting" of a Joke. I think she is really bright and I'm still surprised at some of the jokes she actually understands.

Posted by jnonymous on December 7, 2009 at 10:13 AM

Infuriating interview with the photog on the BBC last week, news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/839331…;.

You got the feeling this paparazzo understood politics the way Annie Liebowitz understood economics.

Posted by Amelia on December 7, 2009 at 10:21 AM

Just hang in there, @1. In only three more years, there may be a woman President here, too. (But I sure hope not.)

Posted by Fifty-Two-Eighty

on December 7, 2009 at 10:24 AM

Every one of them would make a very sketchy Santa.

Posted by rob!

on December 7, 2009 at 10:27 AM

Too many honkeys.

Posted by cardigan weather on December 7, 2009 at 10:28 AM

I think the camera was fairly neutral. It seems to show them first as people.

Posted by Vince on December 7, 2009 at 10:41 AM

I also started by zeroing in on the female leaders, although my main thought was that Cristina Fernández was hot.

Posted by You say I can hike down there, Mark? on December 7, 2009 at 11:03 AM

That's not the best picture of Oscar Arias I've ever seen. I have a big fatty old man/head of state crush on him.

Posted by care bear on December 7, 2009 at 11:05 AM

the online version is niftily interactive. you can sort by gender, tenure, age, and listen to interviews. a nicely done refresh on Richard Avedon's series from 1976.

Posted by josh

on December 7, 2009 at 11:14 AM

Michelle Bachelet looks like Patty Murray.

Posted by Mahtli69 on December 7, 2009 at 11:21 AM

FOUR WOMEN and everybody's focusing on how many women there are?

Posted by The only minority that is actually a majority on December 7, 2009 at 12:09 PM

Agreed. There's only four of them on the page, dudes! Ignore the chicks and start the political man-talk!

Posted by Perspective2 on December 7, 2009 at 12:31 PM

Okay, now I have proof my leader (2nd row, third from left) is probably the least attractive of them all.

Posted by duckgirlie on December 7, 2009 at 2:25 PM

I have to say, these left me cold. I love portraiture, but when my NYer came in the mail I got bored about halfway through the photos--they seem so overwhelmingly similar. Neutral face after neutral face. I think I wanted more expression and personality to burn through.

Posted by Eliza

on December 7, 2009 at 5:17 PM

As a Kenyan I find it very fascinating that the picture of the leader representing Kenya they chose was the Prime Minister.... Not the President. Raila Odinga is the PM. The name of the President is Mwai Kibaki. Interesting

Posted by floatilla

on December 7, 2009 at 5:33 PM

Is that the picture they chose, or did Mwai Kibaki not come/want his picture taken? I find it interesting that they put him next to Obama, and Odinga is peering towards him. I hope those pictures reignite the whole Obama/Odinga conspiracy theories.

Someone should remind Jacob Zuma that black people don't smile in photographs. Everybody else remembered.

Posted by Christampa on December 8, 2009 at 2:02 AM