Faldoni, parts 2848 - 2851

 2848. It is not our job when we paint portraits, to capture the exact look of a person, on the contrary, if we did that we would never get paid for anything. Out job is always to paint pictures of how people wish they looked, or imagine they look, or used to look. We have to paint anything but how they actually look, that is our job.

 2849. It is the disadvantage of the photographers, with their dependence of a machine, that they can never create an image that will do justice to the clients expectations. Now I know there are a lot of nearly destitute people who would never think of having their portrait done, who will be happy with what the photographers can create for them, but they are not our costumers. 

 2850. Our costumers are the rich, who live perpetually in a fantasy land of illusions about themselves and their appearance. 

 

2851. But on the other hand, consider this collection of photographs in my portfolio. Look, for example, at this trellis of ivy with all its details. I will simply put tracing paper over the image, trace out the shapes, and transfer it directly to the canvas I am working on. It would take me days, if not weeks to draw out all these little leaves, all bunched together and overlapping each other.