Ray Wilson: Cynical Misanthrope: A Senior Profile Portrait by Sophie Ho (2011)

Meet my character, Ray Wilson. Born in the roots of liberal, hippie Berkeley, Ray is now a student at famed Reed College. But even while surrounded by people, Ray is quite the misanthrope. Within him is a deep dissatisfaction and hatred of most things around him, from his classmates to the government of the United States. He favors socialism and in some cases, communism, and reveres such authors as George Orwell. If anything, Ray is happiest alone, left to ponder the mysteries of the human condition while hating the very people who carry it. In this picture, he is shown at his relative happiness, alone, yet angry. In my picture, I wanted to emphasize this idea of chosen isolation. Ray (modeled by Arian Dehnow) wears a black hoodie, in order to block out everything around him. His red flannel hints at his favoring of communism, but it was in his expression that I wanted Ray to shine. The dark background brings his face forward, which has a distrusting expression. I wanted the shadows to create a creepy and angular vision of his face to emphasize his kookiness.