Finding a photograph of Kanye West smiling is a rare treat as the singer notoriously refuses to smile for the cameras. West finally explained why he always attempts to remain straight faced and his answer derives from his apparent interest in traditional portraiture.

Kanye West
Kanye West evidently dropping his guard whilst celebrating Kim Kardashian's birthday in October.

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37-year-old West was attending The Daily Front Row's Fashion Los Angeles Awards on Thursday (22nd January) when he finally answered the question the paparazzi have long been wondering - why doesn't West smile in photographs? It appears West has taken inspiration from portraits of distinguished and largely unsmiling characters from history, the type which are displayed in 'old castles'. 

"I looked at all these people's photos and they look so real and their outfits were incredible and they weren't smiling and people, you know the paparazzi, always come up to me, 'Why you not smiling?' and I think, not smiling makes me smile. When you see paintings in an old castle, people are not smiling 'cause it just wouldn't look as cool," West told Huffington Post reporters. 

Sadly, West has failed to recognise the men and women depicted in the paintings were obliged to sit for hours in order to have their portraits taken. As it's almost impossible to hold a smile for hours on end, the subjects of the portraits had little choice but to be depicted as rather stern. They didn't have a choice but West certainly does so maybe, just once in a while, West could drop his "cool" act and flash us a grin. 

Yet West is not the only member of his family to avoid smiling in photographs. His wife, Kim Kardashian West, revealed at the end of December 2014 that she doesn't smile "because it causes wrinkles". 

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