Why do reports always say that a portrait of someone great and good has been unveiled? The word is an empty metaphor that turns the first viewing into a ceremony; it also mystifies the entire procedure and makes it somewhat morbid.
Portraits of kings, presidents, prime ministers, etc., are effigies meant to replace the mortal being. The living subject can be sent off to die once the official image is fixed.
Portraits are supposed to tell complimentary lies about their subjects, with institutional value for narcissists and a deferential attitude from painters.
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