JKR interview in 2 weeks, send in your ?'s

[Catlady (Rita Prince Winston)]

No: HPFGUIDX 130143

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "lindseyharrisst" Snapesangel
wrote in http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HPforGrownups/message/129901 :

<< I was wondering about the difference, in magical terms, between
portraits that can obviously communicate and seem to have an awareness
and wizarding photographs, which move but do not. >>

According to Colin Creevey in CoS, wizarding photos move because they
were developed in a special potion. It is said that one of the extras
on the CoS DVD (I have not seen it myself) is JKR explaining that the
magical portraits are made in a time consuming way that includes the
model must sit for it for a long time and some body material of the
model is mixed into the paint. It makes sense that portraits have much
more oomph! than photographs as they're so much harder to make.

<< *As regards portraits, do the wizards in them have true awareness,
as if they were somehow still alive within the portrait if they were
dead, for example, or is it a bit like an interactive simulation?
*If someone is alive and has a portrait somewhere, can knowledge pass
between the two, so that if portrait!dumbledore was watching something
happen, real!dumbledore would know? >> 

Some listies think Yes, saying that the way Dumbledore knows so much
is because he can see and hear everything any of his Chocolate Frog
cards can see or hear. I don't believe it, myself.

<< *Does creating a portrait leave something of the person behind in
the way that becoming a ghost does? 
I starting thinking that it would be lovely to be able to continue to
communicate with a dead person through keeping their portrait with
you and that led to me wondering if that would really be what you
would be doing, even in the wizrding world. If it is, I don't see why
everyone doesn't have their portrait painted! >>

JKR answered that in her Edinburgh post-OoP lecture:
http://www.quick-quote-quill.org/articles/2004/0804-ebf.htm
<< Q: All the paintings we have seen at Hogwarts are of dead people.
They seem to be living through their portraits. How is this so? If
there was a painting of Harry's parents, would he be able to
obtain advice from them?

JKR: That is a very good question. They are all of dead people; they
are not as fully realised as ghosts, as you have probably noticed. 
The place where you see them really talk is in Dumbledore's
office, primarily; the idea is that the previous headmasters and
headmistresses leave behind a faint imprint of themselves. They leave
their aura, almost, in the office and they can give some counsel to
the present occupant, but it is not like being a ghost. They repeat
catchphrases, almost. The portrait of Sirius' mother is not a
very 3D personality; she is not very fully realised. She repeats
catchphrases that she had when she was alive. If Harry had a portrait
of his parents it would not help him a great deal. If he could meet
them as ghosts, that would be a much more meaningful interaction, but
as Nick explained at the end of Phoenix — I am straying into
dangerous territory, but I think you probably know what he explained
— there are some people who would not come back as ghosts because
they are unafraid, or less afraid, of death. >>

When I reported that answer to my friend Lee, she argued with it. She
agreed that the portrait of Mrs Black can well be described as
repeating catch phrases she had when she was alive, but perhaps the
portrait's raving insanity is due to the painting being only a faint
imprint rather than to Mrs Black having suffered from, I forget the
exact name, cortical temporal lobe dementia. (More colloquially called
"she got to be as loopy as Kreachur".) But, she said, the portraits of
former Headmasters and Headmistresses, especially Phineas Nigellus,
show as much reaction to and opinion of current events as the ghosts
do. 

My own question is whether all the moving paintings at Hogwarts are
portraits. Is Sir Cadogan a real person who had his portrait painted,
rather than a generic illustration of medieval adventure tales? How
about the cows among whom the Fat Lady hid?