fountainhead

11. chastity

a black and white photograph. when i saw it the first time i thought, how exquisitely beautiful... i have realised in the mean time that the lack of natural background makes this a portrait taken by a photographer, probably...hence also the black and white look - artistic, and on the surface, altruistic. half in light and the other half in shadow, so subtle in its artistry, it's hardly noticeable. the fact that it was taken so as not to look like a studio photo, explains the distance i feel towards this profile picture. there is something askance about the eyes and their from-underneath look; lady di meets the joker-quite the unholy alliance. the mouth smiles much louder than the eyes. dazzling teeth to fit a dazzling jaw. there is an impatient air about the stance of this face. i can imagine that smile one second and with the silencing of the shutter it has disappeared in the instant, like it was never there. everything about this picture looks pleasant and just-just-just-above average. wholesome to the extreme. understated without ever letting go of the attention it demands. and it knows. this picture knows...it brings to mind all one hears of how leaders are coached to carry themselves in public, how to use the hands, their eyes, their smiles, the tone of their voices...somehow all of what i'm feeling is reflected in the hair that is visible. the hair is a double-crosser. it is hair that in a single glance looks healthy and shiny and bouncy and thick. but upon a second, longer browse, looks torn and light as air and matt. like that of a shakira or pamela or britney. probably dyed to death. all upon a second look...damaged and not so good.