Alexarae Vega
Michael Rodriguez
Art & Design Seminar
“Ways of Seeing”
In the following essay, I will discuss the book “Ways
of Seeing,” by John Berger. Berger discusses how the many
ways we visualize art and provides us with a different
outlook when viewing art. John Berger mentions a surrealist
painter Magritte was trying to demonstrate the separation
between words and seeing through the painting entitled “The
Keys of Dreams”. When viewing this piece, I understand how
the artist was trying to portray the separation, the words
with the image displayed, didn’t demonstrate a connection.
When I thought about why the artist chose each image and
phrase. “It is seeing which establishes our place in the
surrounding world; we explain that world with words, but
words can never undo the fact that we are surrounded by
it.1” The images the artist exhibited are explained through
the phrases, the phrases enhanced the image extremely. They
use the example of Leonardo De Vinci, and one of his
fascinating paintings entitled “Virgin of the rocks.” “This
painting by Leonardo is unlike any other in the in the
world.2”There where many reproductions of this art piece,
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Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977. (7)
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(21)
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the reproductions produced lacked the quality of the
original painting. I believe if someone is going to
reproduce a piece of art, they should make it his or her
own. It should carry out a different message; quality and
it should speak for itself.
History is important to the author because it
“…constitutes the relation between a present and its past.3”
History gives you a clear view of what’s happening today
and what happened a long time ago. “Consequently fear of
the present leads to mystification of the past.4” The
authors meaning of mystification is that things are left
unclear, “mystification is the process of explaining away
what might other wise be evident.5” For example, the Frans
Hals paintings of the “Regents (Regentesses) of the old
Men’s Alms House,” by looking at the painting, clothing,
and the other details added in the painting it’s evident
that the Hals was portraying people in the government.
According to the author, the relationship between
photography and cubism is that, “…the totality of possible
views taken from points all round the object (or person)
being depicted.6” The image in its entirety is being shown
in multiple points of views. Pablo Picasso and Braque are
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Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(11)
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(11)
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Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(15-16)
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Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(18)
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two artists that took to this change quickly. Picasso
created this piece entitled “Still life with wicker chair,”
I like how he demonstrated the image; he displayed cubism
by showing all the angles he viewed.
The influence of mechanical reproduction on the
meaning of paintings is that it is “…a fresh perception of
the world.7” The camera changed the way people viewed past
art. The mechanical reproduction of a painting allowed an
image to be anywhere at anytime in a variety of sizes,
shapes and angles.
For example, the painting by Botticelli
entitled “Venus and Mars.” This painting displayed Venus
and the God of War. This painting was reproduced into a
portrait of Venus, the “reproduction isolates a detail of a
painting from the whole.8” Although the image was beautiful
as a portrait, I feel it lost the original essence. The
author also discuses a painting reproduced through a film,
“a film which reproduces images of a painting leads the
spectator, through the painting, to the film makers own
conclusion.9” For example, the painting “Procession by
Calvary,” by Breughel is shown in the book through a
filmmaker, it tells a different ending compared to the
painting as a whole.
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Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(17)
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(25)
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Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(26)
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I believe most of the author’s interpretation on the
history of the nude still exists in today’s mainstream
media. For example, “… the relation of women to
themselves,10” Women are always glancing at other women and
believe that’s the way there suppose to appear.
The male
spectators assets and judge the women as sites, “…The
implication that the subject (a women) is aware of being
seen by a spectator.11” Women are being seen as objects. The
author discusses a painting entitled “Susannah and the
Elders,” by Tintoretto. This painting exhibits men spying
on Susannah while she’s bathing and her looking back at the
viewers. Another image is displayed of Susannah looking at
herself in the mirror. Her facial expression signifies
uncertainty, “she joins the spectators of herself,12”
questioning how she’s seen as a woman. Nearly all the
paintings shown depict women very exaggeratedly. I can’t
identify with the images because I don’t think these women
were ever portrayed as who they were, they always seemed to
be playing the role of what the viewer wanted to see.
I think it’s important to look at art history with a
critical eye in order to create new artwork because it
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Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(47)
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(49)
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Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(50)
13Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(16)
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allows you to really understand the work of art. You’re
able to take in what the artist was trying to display.
It
also provides inspiration to develop new art with new
meaning. “Today we see the art of the past as nobody saw it
before.13” For example, I had to go to The Frick Museum to
write a paper and as I was gathering my information I came
across this painting entitled “Julia, Lady Peel” by Sir
Thomas Lawrence. The clothing and accessories inspired me.
After seeing that painting, I created numerous fashion
designs based on the artwork viewed at the Frick.
The market and class had a successive influential
subject matter toward the European paintings from 15001900. Paintings where created on architecture, churches,
buildings, etc. Modern European paintings where capitalized
to be sold and bought. Rembrandt is an exception because he
was a “…painter whose vision had been formed by the
tradition…14”Rembrandt’s first self portrait entitled,
“Portrait of himself and Saskia” displays a “…happy period
of the artist’s life.15” The painting expresses the exterior
of their joy and happiness together. It demonstrates a
mixture of his unique style with his traditional technique.
Rembrandt’s second painting, titled “Self-Portrait” shows a
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Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(16)
Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(110)
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Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(111)
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more somber image, it depicts inner life than exterior.
Rembrandts paintings make him an exception because he “…has
found the means to express just that, using a medium which
had been traditionally developed to exclude any such
question.16” Viewing these images demonstrated two different
times in Rembrandts life, it’s interesting to see his past
techniques and outlooks compared to his future style. I
like his later piece, “Self Portrait,” it exhibits real
emotion; the expression on his face signifies a question of
uncertainty.
Overall, the book “Ways of Seeing” by John Berger is
very influential. It discusses and confronts the art
language and the important aspects. It also provides many
artists as examples. Reading this book has given me the
knowledge and information to make a more meaningful
assessment on art that I view.
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Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin Books, 1977(112)
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