This is a portrait of the renowned author Joan Didion taken by Annie Liebovitz using a digital camera. This in itself makes for refreshing and inspirational knowledge considering quite often any photograph not taken with an analogue camera is often derided and considered lacking in artistic merit. When this portrait was taken in 2011 Joan was 76 and it’s apparent by her direct gaze into the camera lens she is unashamedly aging. Some of the portraits of celebrities by Liebovitz become merely glamour photography where there is an emphasis on the role of the make up artist and set designer. Not here. Life experience, weathering and time are all etched onto the subjects face and are recognised and celebrated. The tree in the background reflecting the age and strength of Didion is a beautiful extension of the portrait It’s a pertinent point to add that while we see the gnarled branches and textured wood of an aged tree as an object of beauty and a piece of nature to respect it is quite often the opposite in regard to the aged human. Considered of no use to the economy they are discarded and disparaged rather than utilised for their wisdom. Perhaps it’s because of a defined aging process that is relatively short compared to the tree which unless subjected to annhilation from encroaching development may live for hundreds of years. In this portrait both the human and the tree are stubborn and defiant in the face of encroaching irrelevance. This is a stunning portrait and one I’d hope to emulate if I’m lucky enough to live as long.
Kerri Smith Artist 