Kozloff on the scrutiny of portraiture

“From a literal – and therefore strange – point of view, the face is only an appearance in a certain condition and phase, of which the portraitist makes an image. Though accustomed to casual or meaningful glances, we don’t normally think of our faces as objects of an intense but detached stare, and they rarely are – except when being scrutinized by someone behind a camera. To a photographer, a sitter is an ensemble of surfaces, volumes, features and shapes, in addition to being a person. The picture-maker is responsible for a description of the first, as well as an account of the second. Through the lens there may be no visual disparity between these aspects, but they overlap in the photographer’s mind.”

Max KozloffThe Sander Effect” in The Theatre of the Face: Portrait Photography since 1900

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