Which One is Truly Mightier: The Photo or the Painting?

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One might think that photos are truly a better way of capturing moments since they were invented later and utilize far superior technology than that is required to create a painting. After all even the most primitive of cultures used paintings and basic art to represent events that had taken place. But is this really the case?
From the onset it is clear that photos capture what could be called a perfect reproduction of the subjects that the camera is pointed at. This is largely true though you might have to ignore the accuracy of colour reproduction in addition to the lighting levels of the picture. Obviously the quality of the picture will vary heavily depending on the camera used but for the sake of argument it does capture a solid representation of the world.

From the start a painting cannot match the raw accuracy of a picture especially when considering the materials used to create it. However you might be surprised at how accurate some paintings are though none look like real life when viewed at close range. However there are some benefits to be had from the inaccuracy or deviation from reality that is found in paintings. But what could these benefits be?

Well for one thing they are more subjective and therefore can generally feature the bias of the artist. Now while some might take this as a negative aspect it can also be a positive aspect. In many cases the painter might be able to properly capture and even highlight the distinctive characteristics of what he is seeing. For example a person in real life may have a nice smile which might be one of their strongest traits. A picture would accurately capture this, but a painting on the other hand can highlight and bring out features in the person’s face that captures that person’s essence in a more complete manner including their smile. In such a way this artistic licese can also give a far more dramatic or accentuated appearance to a moment in time.

For those who wish to embellish a cherished moment in time, a place or a person the option of converting a photograph to a painting is also a viable one. Recreating photos on canvas can be done through skilled painters who will carefully turn your photo in to a stylish oil painting. It is important to remember though that printing a photo on canvas is not the same thing as a reproduction on a canvas and will be devoid of any kind of artistic embellishment.

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