--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Andre Breton once said that a portrait…" description: "\"Andre Breton once said that a portrait should not only be an image but an oracle one questions, and that the photographer's aim should be a profound li..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/801/bill-brandt-22762_aim_andre-breton-once-said-that-a-portrait-s_1879901.png" --- # Andre Breton once said that a portrait should not only be… ![“Andre Breton once said that a portrait should not only be an image but an oracle one questions, and that the photographer's aim should be a profound likeness, which physically and morally predicts the subject's entire future.” quote by Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/801/bill-brandt-22762_aim_andre-breton-once-said-that-a-portrait-s_1879901.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/801/bill-brandt-22762_aim_andre-breton-once-said-that-a-portrait-s_1879901.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/801/bill-brandt-22762_aim_andre-breton-once-said-that-a-portrait-s_1879901.png) > “Andre Breton once said that a portrait should not only be an image but an oracle one questions, and that the photographer's aim should be a profound likeness, which physically and morally predicts the subject's entire future.” [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A portrait should function as a prophetic mirror, revealing both physical and moral dimensions that hint at a subject’s future. **In simple terms:** Portraits can predict a person’s future. Key Takeaway Seek depth, not just appearance. Themes art philosophy future identity prediction Mood contemplative introspective Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - art exhibitions - personal branding - historical documentation - psychological profiling Key Concepts portraiture psychology symbolism Questions to Reflect On - How can a portrait capture unseen aspects? - What ethical limits exist in predicting futures? A Different Perspective Interpretation may be subjective and culturally biased. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aim/) [Likeness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likeness/) [Likeness Physically](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likeness-physically-2648861/) [Oracles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oracles/) [Painting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painting/) [Photographer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photographer/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Portrait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portrait/) [Portraits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/portraits/) [Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound/) [Profound Likeness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound-likeness-2648860/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Said Portrait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-portrait-2304424/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Subjects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subjects/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“That’s different,” I said. And it was. A portrait is a picture where somebody gets to choose what you look like. How they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-rifka-brunt/that-s-different-i-said-and-it-was-a-portrait-is-a-picture-where/) [Carol Rifka Brunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-rifka-brunt/) > [The explanation of the propensity of the English people to portrait painting is to be found in their relish for a Fact. Let a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-haydon/the-explanation-of-the-propensity-of-the-english-people-to-portrait/) [Benjamin Haydon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-haydon/) > [When I paint a person, his enemies always find the portrait a good likeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edvard-munch/when-i-paint-a-person-his-enemies-always-find-the-portrait-a-good/) [Edvard Munch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edvard-munch/) > [A portrait is not a likeness. The moment an emotion or fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/a-portrait-is-not-a-likeness-the-moment-an-emotion-or-fact-is/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [“Child, you do not know me. You have created a mythical being in my likeness whom you have set up as a god. 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Engraving was imperfect, and that when you are a ruler and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-schiff/what-we-know-about-cleopatra-s-looks-is-based-purely-on-her-coin/) [Stacy Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-schiff/) > [Your own self, your personality and existence are reflected within the mind of each of the people whom you meet, ... into a likeness,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/your-own-self-your-personality-and-existence-are-reflected-within-the/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [“The more time you spend with God, the more you will resemble Him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-george/the-more-time-you-spend-with-god-the-more-you-will-resemble-him/) [Elizabeth George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-george/) > [“A man becomes creative, whether he is an artist or a scientist, when he finds a new unity in the variety of nature. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-bronowski/a-man-becomes-creative-whether-he-is-an-artist-or-a-scientist-when-he/) [Jacob Bronowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-bronowski/) ## More by Bill Brandt > [It is part of the photographer's job to see more intensely than most people do. He must have and keep in him something of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/it-is-part-of-the-photographer-s-job-to-see-more-intensely-than-most/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [Photography is not a sport. It has no rules. Everything must be dared and tried!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/photography-is-not-a-sport-it-has-no-rules-everything-must-be-dared/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [Most photographers would feel a certain embarrassment in admitting publicly that they carried within them a sense of wonder, yet without it they would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/most-photographers-would-feel-a-certain-embarrassment-in-admitting/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [A photographer must be prepared to catch and hold on to those elements which give distinction to the subject or lend it atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/a-photographer-must-be-prepared-to-catch-and-hold-on-to-those/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [The vital elements are often momentary, change-sent things ... a gleam of light on water, a trail of smoke from a passing train, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/the-vital-elements-are-often-momentary-change-sent-things-a-gleam-of/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [It is essential for the photographer to know the effect of his lenses. The lens is his eye, and it makes or ruins his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/it-is-essential-for-the-photographer-to-know-the-effect-of-his-lenses/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [The good photographer will produce a competent picture every time whatever his subject. But only when his subject makes and immediate and direct appeal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/the-good-photographer-will-produce-a-competent-picture-every-time/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [The photographer must possess and preserve the receptive faculties of a child who looks at the world for the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/the-photographer-must-possess-and-preserve-the-receptive-faculties-of/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [I consider it essential that the photographer should do his own printing and enlarging. The final effect of the finished print depends so much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/i-consider-it-essential-that-the-photographer-should-do-his-own/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [And only the photographer himself knows the effect he wants. He should know by instinct, grounded in experience, what subjects are enhanced by hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/and-only-the-photographer-himself-knows-the-effect-he-wants-he-should/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [Photographers should follow their own judgment, and not the fads and dictates of others. Photography is still a very new medium and everything is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/photographers-should-follow-their-own-judgment-and-not-the-fads-and/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [Sometimes they are a matter of luck; the photographer could not expect or hope for them. Sometimes they are a matter of patience, waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-brandt/sometimes-they-are-a-matter-of-luck-the-photographer-could-not-expect/) [Bill Brandt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-brandt/) > [It is part of the photographer's job to see more intensely than most people do. 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It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [My main aim has always been to do good quality films with roles that have some substance. With Power and Beauty there were loads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-henstridge/my-main-aim-has-always-been-to-do-good-quality-films-with-roles-that/) [Natasha Henstridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-henstridge/) > [ I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback \[in "The Invisible Woman"\]. 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