In the Harry Potter books, the subjects of the magical portraits on the walls of Hogwarts can interact with living observers, speak, move (or simulate motion, at least within the two-dimensional plane of the picture), and can even apparently move to other paintings to visit each other. Cover of the original novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. ... Self-portrait by Vincent Van Gogh A portrait is a painting, photograph, or other artistic representation of a person. ... Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a fictional school of magic that is the main setting of the Harry Potter series of novels. ... A picture plane is the imaginary flat surface which is usually located between the station point and the object being viewed and is ordinarily a vertical plane perpendicular to the horizontal projection of the line of sight to the objects order of interest. ...

At least one portrait, that of the Fat Lady (see below) can perform at least one action with a physical effect outside the frame of her painting: she can open the door that is hidden behind her painting, by unknown (presumably magical) means. An action, as philosophers use the term, is a certain kind of thing a person can do. ... For other meanings of this phrase (book and album titles etc. ...

The portraits in the Headmaster's office depict all former Headmasters of Hogwarts, who at times act to advise the Headmaster and are sworn to aid him in his duties. Notable among them is the portrait of Phineas Nigellus. Phineas Nigellus Black, more commonly known as Phineas Nigellus, is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series. ...

Are they alive?

Interestingly, while it can be argued that these objects seem to show evidence of both sentience and sapience, it is unknown whether the subjects of the paintings actually possess consciousness, or experience a point of view or self-awareness -- or are merely enchanted to simulate these qualities for purposes of convenience or amusement. J.K. Rowling has chosen to be vague on this point; she has not explicitly demonstrated to what degree the paintings are "alive" (or ever were) and has exploited this ambiguity for eerie and humorous effect. Sentience is the capacity for basic consciousness—the ability to feel or perceive, not necessarily including the faculty of self-awareness. ... Sapience is the ability of an organism or entity to act with intelligence. ... Consciousness is a quality of the mind generally regarded to comprise qualities such as subjectivity, self-awareness, sentience, sapience, and the ability to perceive the relationship between oneself and ones environment. ... Phenomenological life has been defined by the philosopher Michel Henry as what possesses the faculty and the power to feel and to experience oneself in every point of its being. ... Self-awareness is the ability to perceive ones own existence, including ones own traits, feelings and behaviours. ... For other uses of the words enchantment, enchanter, or enchantress, see enchantment (disambiguation). ... Joanne Rowling OBE (born July 31, 1965 in Chipping Sodbury, South Gloucestershire), commonly known as J.K. Rowling (pronunciation: roll-ing; her former students used to joke with her name calling her the Rolling Stone), is a British fiction writer. ... Life is a multi-faceted concept. ... The article is about the ghosts which inhabit Hogwarts in the Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling. ...

As evidence that the paintings are not considered to be "alive": the students at Hogwarts often treat the paintings with impatience or informality, as they do no other adults in the school, even the school ghosts. This may suggest that the paintings are not considered to be actual persons. The article is about the ghosts which inhabit Hogwarts in the Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling. ... Person, in the classic sense, refers to a living human being. ...

On the other hand, the headmaster Dumbledore himself has been known to accept advice from the pictures in his office. Also, the portraits may be considered reliable witnesses, for example in the case of Sirius Black infiltrating Hogwarts upon his escape from Azkaban (allowing for the reliability of the character depicted in the painting). This last may not imply personhood, however; note that muggles will accept the "perceptions" of a video camera as evidence, without assuming such a device is self-aware. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (born circa 1844-1997) is a character in J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter series - the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and one of the most powerful wizards in the world. ... Spoiler warning: Sirius Black (c. ... Azkaban is the fictional wizard prison in the Harry Potter series of books by J. K. Rowling. ... Person, in the classic sense, refers to a living human being. ... A Muggle is a term from the fictional Harry Potter series of books which refers to a human with no magical abilities who doesnt belong to a wizarding family. ...

It is also unknown how the portraits come into being: if they are produced by a painter and then bewitched (or haunted), or whether they are brought into existence by other means. If they are manufactured items (and not haunted by a human ghost), they could be considered a form of artificial intelligence. The article is about the ghosts which inhabit Hogwarts in the Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling. ... Reputed ghost of a monk. ... Artificial intelligence (AI) is defined as intelligence exhibited by an artificial entity. ...

The Fat Lady

Harry Potter character
The Fat Lady
Gender	female
Hair colour	Unknown (Brown in the films and book illustrations)
Eye colour	Unknown
House	None
Blood Purity	None
Loyalty	Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, Her Post as Guard to Gryffindor Tower
Film portrayer	Elizabeth Spriggs/Dawn French
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

The Fat Lady is the guardian of the door to Gryffindor Tower, which is hidden behind her painting. She will open it (sometimes grudgingly) when the correct password is uttered. She is often upset after being awakened. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, she left to visit another portrait in the middle of night, locking Harry, Ron, Hermione and Neville out of Gryffindor Tower. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the Fat Lady was attacked by Sirius Black and it was some time before she dared to guard Gryffindor Tower again. Cover of the original novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. ... Image File history File links Screen shot of the fatlady from harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Female symbol Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces egg cells. ... Elizabeth Spriggs (born 1929 in Buxton, England) is a British actress. ... Dawn French (born October 11, 1957) is a British comedienne and actress best known as one half of the comic duo French & Saunders, the other half being Jennifer Saunders of Absolutely Fabulous fame. ... Cover of the International edition, distributed in the United Kingdom, Australia, India and Canada Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone is the first volume in a planned series of seven books written by British author J. K. Rowling, and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard. ... Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a fictional school of magic that is the main setting of the Harry Potter series of novels. ... A password is a form of secret authentication data that is used to control access to a resource. ... Cover of the International edition, distributed in the United Kingdom, Australia, India and Canada Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone is the first volume in a planned series of seven books written by British author J. K. Rowling, and featuring Harry Potter, a young wizard. ... Harry James Potter (born 31 July 1980 in Godrics Hollow, England)[2] is a fictional character and the protagonist of J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter series. ... Ronald Ron Bilius Weasley (born 1 March 1980) is a fictional character in J. K. Rowlings Harry Potter series of childrens books. ... Hermione Jane Granger (born 19 September 1979) is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series of books. ... Neville Longbottom (born 30 July 1980)[1] is a fictional character in the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling. ... Cover of the UK Childrens edition by Bloomsbury Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third book in the Harry Potter series of childrens books by J. K. Rowling. ... Spoiler warning: Sirius Black (c. ...

The Fat Lady can be seen as a parody of the magical threshold guardians common in literature and myth, such as the Sphinx faced by Oedipus, the gates of Moria in The Fellowship of the Ring, or the door to the bandits' cave to which Ali Baba gains entry in Arabian Nights. Each of these will only permit passage if the traveller speaks correct words. In contemporary usage, parody is a form of satire that imitates another work of art in order to ridicule it. ... The Great Sphinx of Giza, with the Pyramid of Khafre in the background. ... Oedipus and the Sphinx, from an 1879 illustration from Stories from the Greek Tragedians by Alfred Church Oedipus (Greek , Oidipous, swollen-foot; rarely ; Latin Oedipus) or Œdipus was the mythical king of Thebes, son of Laius and Jocasta, who, unknowingly, killed his father and married his mother. ... Moria refers to: Moria (Middle-earth), a fictional location in author J.R.R. Tolkiens Lord of the Rings trilogy Moria (computer game) - an old roguelike computer game Moria (tree) - an olive tree in ancient Greece Moria (StarCraft) - a Terran colony in the Koprulu Sector of the StarCraft universe... The Fellowship of the Ring is the first of three volumes of the epic novel The Lord of the Rings. ... Ali Baba (Arabic: على بابا ) is a fictional character described in the adventure tale of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves which was added to the traditional collection of The Book of One Thousand and One Nights by its European transcriber, Antoine Galland, an 18th-century French orientalist who had heard it... Queen Scheherazade tells her stories to King Shahryar. ...

In the first movie (Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone) the Fat Lady was played by Elizabeth Spriggs. She did not appear in the second movie. In the third movie (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) she was played by Dawn French.
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone (also known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone in the United States) was a critically acclaimed and highly successful film released in 2001, based on the fantasy novel of the same name by best-selling author J.K. Rowling. ... Elizabeth Spriggs (born 1929 in Buxton, England) is a British actress. ... Starring Daniel Radcliffe Rupert Grint Emma Watson Produced by Michael Barnathan et al. ... Dawn French (born October 11, 1957) is a British comedienne and actress best known as one half of the comic duo French & Saunders, the other half being Jennifer Saunders of Absolutely Fabulous fame. ...

Sir Cadogan

Harry Potter character
Sir Cadogan
Gender	Male
Hair colour	White /*inferring from his moustache*/
Eye colour	Unknown
House	None
Blood Purity	None
Loyalty	Formerly his post as guard to Gryffindor Tower; currently, himself and his fat grey pony
Film portrayer	Paul Whitehouse (for a brief cameo and a couple of deleted scenes)
First appearance	Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Sir Cadogan is an eccentric knight who guarded Gryffindor Tower during Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban when the Fat Lady was recovering from her encounter with Sirius Black. Sir Cadogan was universally hated as he spent half his time challenging people to duel and the rest coming up with complicated passwords he changed frequently. He wasn't fired until after he let Sirius Black in when Sirius read the whole week's passwords off a list (compiled by Neville Longbottom who was unable to keep track of the changes). Sir Cadogan's portrait was already well-known at Hogwarts in Bill Weasley's day. Cover of the original novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. ... Image File history File links Sir Cadogan, played by Paul Whitehouse. ... Male symbol Male is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces sperm. ... Paul Whitehouse (born 17 May 1959 in Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales) is a Welsh comedian and actor, well known for his work with Harry Enfield and as one of the stars of the popular BBC sketch show, The Fast Show. ... Cover of the UK Childrens edition by Bloomsbury Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third book in the Harry Potter series of childrens books by J. K. Rowling. ... The silver Anglia knight, commissioned as a trophy in 1850, intended to represent the Black Prince. ... Cover of the UK Childrens edition by Bloomsbury Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is the third book in the Harry Potter series of childrens books by J. K. Rowling. ... Neville Longbottom (born 30 July 1980)[1] is a fictional character in the Harry Potter books by J. K. Rowling. ... Bill Weasley (born November 29, 1971)[1][2] is a fictional character in the Harry Potter series, the oldest son of Molly and Arthur Weasley and the brother of Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny. ...

Sir Cadogan was played in the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban movie by Paul Whitehouse.
Paul Whitehouse (born 17 May 1959 in Cardiff, South Glamorgan, Wales) is a Welsh comedian and actor, well known for his work with Harry Enfield and as one of the stars of the popular BBC sketch show, The Fast Show. ...

Violet

Violet is a portrait present in the Chamber off the Great Hall where Albus Dumbledore addressed the four Triwizard Champions. She listened to the whole meeting then visited the Fat Lady and told her, as well as the other Gryffindor students, all about it. She again visited the Fat Lady on Christmas, when she was nicknamed "Vi" and both portraits got very drunk.
Cover of the original novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. ... Female symbol Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces egg cells. ... UK Childrens Edition Bloomsbury This article is about the book. ... A great hall was the main room of a royal palace, a noblemans castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries. ... Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (born circa 1844-1997) is a character in J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter series - the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and one of the most powerful wizards in the world. ... The Champions of the 1994-1995 Triwizard Tournament The Triwizard Tournament is a fictional tournament featured in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. ... In the Harry Potter series, the Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry is divided into four houses, each bearing the last name of its founder: Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff. ...

Barnabas the Barmy

Barnabas the Barmy was a deranged wizard, notorious for trying to teach trolls to dance ballet. A tapestry showing one of his attempts is found on a wall directly opposite the door to the Room of Requirement.
Cover of the original novel in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone. ... Male symbol Male is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces sperm. ... Cover of the UK Childrens Edition, Bloomsbury Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the fifth book in the Harry Potter series of childrens books by J. K. Rowling. ... This list of rooms is based upon a list created by the Harry Potter Lexicon, a site whose contributors have deduced the location of every room except the Transfiguration Classroom. ...

Others

The emphatically outspoken portrait of Sirius Black's mother in his family home at 12 Grimmauld Place has similar qualities. Spoiler warning: Sirius Black (c. ... Number twelve, Grimmauld Place, London is a fictitious place in the Harry Potter books and is specifically mentioned in the fifth book. ...

Photographs in wizard newspapers of the Harry Potter novels are also animated and sometimes incorporate sound.

See also

• Artificial intelligence
• Turing test
• Philosophy of mind