[HPforGrownups] Paintings vs. Photos

[rayheuer3 at aol.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 76742

serenamoonsilver at yahoo.com writes:

> Why is it that painted portraits can talk but photos can't.  And in 
> that case, why doesn't everyone have a portrait painted of 
> themselves to they can leave a bit of themselves behind after they 
> die.  I mean maybe there are portraits of James, Lily, and Sirius 
> out there that Harry could talk to.  Or at least some of his 
> relatives.
> 
> Also, if you have a portrait painted when your say, ten, does it 
> know everything you know until you die or is just everything you 
> knew up to age 10.  Or maybe it's like Dorian Grey, only the picture 
> just stops aging when you die.

This has been discussed here and there, but perhaps we need it all in one 
thread.  I'm not sure why paintings and photographs should work differently, but 
perhaps it has something to do with a "machine" capturing a photograph, while 
the talent (and thus the "magic") of a portrait artist is also contained in a 
painting.

My take is that a small piece of the spiritual essence ("soul" if you will) 
of the subject is captured in the painting.  This "soul" has the knowledge and 
memories of the person at the time of the painting, but from there on, 
acquires memories separately.
We know from canon that portraits can move from one painting to another, and 
in OotP, we find that they can move from one portrait of themselves to another 
portrait in another place (this was hinted at in PS/SS with the frog cards).  
As in the muggle world, certain people of stature have portraits of 
themselves in their home and/or office, and can thus "spy" n a wide range of places 
through this "portrait network".

James and Lily had photographs taken, but it is possible that, being fairly 
young and active, they never sat for a portrait.  It is also possible that 
Voldemort destroyed all known portraits of those he fought, just to keep the "spy 
network" blind.

Another question is what effect physical damage to the portrait has on the 
subject.  In PoA, we saw "the fat lady" suffer harm as though she were 
physically attacked, and that also brings up the possibility of "portrait doctors" in 
the WW.

Enough from me, what do others think?

  --  Ray



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