The Power of Pictures

I'm going to be honest.  I don't really buy Schwartz's claim that pictures play an important role in making the world.  I can agree with his claim that pictures can be powerful and help shape our perception of the world, but he hasn't convinced me of much more than that.  His first example about the skyscraper made me think that I was going to buy his claim that pictures can help shape the world because without a drawing, the skyscraper probably wouldn't have been able to be constructed.  However, the examples of Picasso's paintings completely lost me as to how pictures are supposed to help make the world.  Schwartz claims that Picasso's painting helps to make or create what Stein looks like (713) and that the picture joins in giving Stein her looks (713).  I just plain don't see how Schwartz jumps to this conclusion.  Stein would have the features she has regardless of whether or not she was painted.  About all Picasso did, in my eyes at least, is paint a portrait of the woman that emphasized certain parts of her face.  Any other takes on this -- maybe someone can help convince me to agree with Schwartz's claim?