Ways of Seeing

July 9, 2014 by joachim

A while ago I found the book by John Berger again in my little library, “Ways of Seeing.” Written in 1972, it is a series of essays containing a refreshing demystification of the visual arts, particularly oil painting, established in our Western canon.

He has helped me understand the huge step that was taken collectively when techniques of reproduction freed the image from the unique place where it resided as an “original”.

Particularly poignant are his attacks on art critics and art historians who have made an industry out of mystification.

For the first time, opening the book now, I found a reference to an influential BBC series under the same name. Going on the internet, I found four segments of his original talk on Youtube. It is worthwhile going there: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pDE4VX_9Kk

This entry was posted in Blog. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

© 2024 Franx Fiction – Joachim Frank. All rights reserved.