Portrait of the actress
“A portrait! What could be more simple and more complex, more obvious and more profound.” ~ Charles Baudelaire.
Monday evening found me sitting for a portrait for photographer Leslie Jean-Bart. As part of his latest creative series, Leslie requested each “sitter” come with a significant personal object. I chose a Venetian mask I bought during my visit to that city. Was there ever more appropriate prop for an actress? It is a very interesting experience to ‘sit’ for someone while they observe and photograph you. There must be a trust established between the artist and the subject because in spite of the clothes, the props, the war paint, you feel transparent. There is a sense of surrender: you do not control what the artist sees or how he interprets your offerings: a smile, a gaze, a head gesture, lowered eyelids, laughter…
I am not sure what Leslie will name his series but as he uses a water concoction in which the subjects are mirrored, I can only think of Narcissus. According to the legend, Narcissus falls in love with his own reflection in the water. A different and interesting interpretation of the tragic myth is not Narcissus’ self-love but his curse at being unable to recognize his own reflection. Perhaps unconsciously, Leslie recreated the conditions of the myth so he could capture the moment of self-recognition or non-recognition as each subject was confronted with their own reflected image.
When Leslie sent me the images, the photographs surprised me; he had chosen two portraits- one joyful, the other pensive. They had a brightness and softness I didn’t expect and amazingly, without having set out to do so, they replicated the symbol of theater: the two masks of tragedy and comedy. The perfect portrayal of an actress!
Thank you Leslie for ‘seeing’ me and translating it so beautifully in photography!
*Leslie Jean-Bart’s photograph graces the cover of my book “La Desencantada” (2009)
Leslie Jean-Bart is a New York City-based freelance photographer who shot for Sotheby’s, BMW, and other clients specializing in objects of desire. For fifteen years, he has been giving visual shape to verbal ideas.
Leslie Jean-Bart
212.662.3985
www.lesliejean-bart.com
http://www.acurator.com/blog/2011/11/leslie-jean-bart.html
http://www.lesliejean-bart.com/index.php#p=-1&a=0&at=0
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Michèle Voltaire Marcelin is a poet/writer, performer and painter who was born and raised in Haiti, sojourned in Chile, and currently lives in the United States. The publication of her first novel “La Désenchantée” (CIDIHCA, Montréal-2006) was followed by its Spanish translation “La Desencantada” and two other books of poetry and prose: “Lost and Found” and “Amours et Bagatelles” (CIDIHCA, Montréal-2009) - translated into Spanish by Editorial ALBA as "Amores y cosas sin importancia" - all of which garnered rave reviews. Her writings are also featured in 3 anthologies published in France: "Cahier Haiti" (published by RAL'M-2009), "Terre de Femmes" (Editions Bruno Doucey-2011) "Revue Intranqu'îllités" (2012). She speaks and writes fluently French, English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. She has a BFA from the Leonard Davis Center for the Performing Arts at CUNY and a Masters from The New School for Social Research.
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