The Times Quotidian

Portraits of Power, by Platon for The New Yorker
by Nancy Cantwell

I am a rabid fan of print. I was raised in the business and flipping through a magazine is my idea of heaven.

So it is with great reluctance to admit that there are just times when the web does a better job of delivering content. Portraits of Power, An interactive portfolio of portraits by Platon of current world leaders, with commentary by the photographer gives better content. Starring at the screen waiting to dig into these amazing profiles I noticed the date. It was December 7th. My computer doesn’t lie, it was December 2nd. Ok. Just then the familiar sound of the postman depositing the mail distracted me enough to let that go. But there in the mailbox was my copy of the latest New Yorker dated December 7th. Well yeh, time is relative right? Inside is the 27 page layout of portraits, an impressive spread for any magazine, but for The New Yorker, a gigantic commitment of pages.

For as much fun as I have perusing the print magazine, I was far more compelled, in this particular instance, by my computer screen. Not unlike The Interview Project, reviewed here on July 19, 2009, the Platon Portraits of Power web version had perfectly matched the content to its navigation system making the information more potent. The web menu gives one the ability to immediately rearrange the information by Country, by Name, by Age, by Gender and by Tenure. The thumbnails even provide little flags to identify each country. Now how fun is that! But fun aside, this feature allows the user to instantly build five new databases, five different ways to absorb the information, something the print edition could never deliver.

When the user drills down to the individual portraits one is also treated to a short reflection by Platon. Each individual is given consideration and each portrait is lovingly pored over by its creator. Especially engaging is the ten minute “About This Portfolio” in which Platon accounts the entire production, and give insights into the workings of the United Nations.

Personal favorites include Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda, Toomas Ilves, President of Estonia, Jacob Zuma, President of South Africa, Cristina Fernández, President of Argentina and, who can resist the ever so wily Silvio Berlusconi, Prime Minister of Italy.

Also, on a fashion note, it is a great study of glass frames. Clearly frameless is the style favorite among world dignitaries.