Influence, Power, Control.
Some images don't just sit on a page or screen; they assert themselves. They bypass logic and go straight to instinct. They linger. This photograph is one of them.
A face, undeniably present, with features—eyes, lips, brows—that stand out vividly, isolated from skin, shadow, or depth. The subject is a person but this is not a portrait. It's something bigger; it's a symbol.
This is the visual language of influence. Of power. Of control. It's the same stripped-down aesthetic used in propaganda, political, and commercial messaging, where minimalism isn't a lack of detail but a strategy.
Shepard Fairey's OBEY GIANT took a face and transformed it into something more: an icon, a presence. By stripping it down to essential forms, he created an image that wasn't just seen but felt. His work borrowed from the visual language of propaganda, not to dictate a message, but to make people question what they see, why they see it, and who controls the imagery that surrounds them.
And then there's Big Brother. Orwell's 1984 introduced us to the ultimate symbol of surveillance and control: a face watching from posters, screens, and the subconscious. The power of Big Brother was never just in being seen, but in the knowledge that he saw you. His gaze was an unspoken command, an ever-present reminder of authority.
But this face, this woman, doesn't carry the same obvious weight of surveillance. Her expression is neutral, her gaze calm. And perhaps that makes it even more unsettling. It doesn't demand obedience; it doesn't threaten. Instead, it persuades. In this way, it connects more closely to the world of A Brave New World, where control is not imposed through force, but through quiet, passive influence.
Photography often captures moments. But this? This captures an idea. A presence. A force that lingers in the mind long after you've looked away.
As intended, the message has done its job.
