Barthes' 'Air' and the Enigma of the Artist Portrait

Régis Durand revisits Roland Barthes' concept of 'air' from 'Camera Lucida' (1980), exploring its elusive nature as the 'luminous shadow' that emanates from a photographed subject, granting life to the image. Barthes describes 'air' as an indecomposable, moral quality that reveals the subject's truth, distinguishing it from mere resemblance or psychological analysis. Durand questions how this notion applies to artist portraits, noting that the most effective portraits are the least verbose, avoiding overt symbolism or contextual cues. He cites examples like August Sander's neutral portraits and André Kertész's photo of Piet Mondrian in his studio, which Barthes used to illustrate the paradox of appearing intelligent while thinking of nothing. Durand also references Martine Franck's exhibition 'Venus d'ailleurs' at the Maison européenne de la photographie (October 2011–January 2012), noting that many artist portraits fail to convey 'air' for him personally. The essay concludes that 'air' is a subjective, unpredictable grace, not subject to democratic interpretation or average affect, but rather a trace of madness or ecstasy haunting photography.