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I expected to read the first chapter of Ways of Seeing, by John Berger, in forty minutes or less, however, in the end it took about three hours. But I “know” that the one in my room is a “couch” because of what that definition has come to mean to me throughout my experiences. I could have used chair, sofa, recliner, arm-chair, rocking chair etc because even though all of these objects more or less share the same purpose- a place in to sit in. This is obviously true, for example, when I look around my room and see a small couch, I make the distinction of using the word “couch”. Berger says that “the way we see things is affected by what we know or believe”. British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books, /ways-of-seeing-john-berger-5.7.pdf.Ways of Seeing was written by BBC News Correspondent, John Berger, in an attempt to analyze the ways in which sight has influenced or created our beliefs and thoughts. Berger concludes by saying that ” this unequal relationship is so deeply assimilated in our culture and in the consciousness of women” (Berger 63) even in today’s society through different sources of media. He argues the ways in which femininity are understood and how women live their lives.
#John berger ways of seeing perspective series#
Through a series of post-Renaissance and European paintings and images, Berger examines the difference between the naked and nude, and how women were portrayed as objects. The actions of women are always being investigated and proves how she wants to be looked upon whereas the actions of men are regarded as reactions. The difference between men and woman according to Berger is that “woman is blamed and is punished by being subservient to the man” (Berger 48), they are seen as being inferior to men. A woman is always aware of every action she performs and is self-conscious. He starts by explaining that the social presence of a woman is different from a man. In chapter 3, John Berger reflects on the subject of women.
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With the increasing technology, the interpretation of the pictures continuously changes and move further away from the original intent of the image. The painter’s original feelings and purpose are lost and viewers are no longer able to feel the same emotions when viewing a reproduction of the picture. He mentions that because of the camera, “the painting now travels to the spectator, rather than the spectator to the painting” (Berger 20). Since the photographer is able to change the lighting and the angle, this evokes a different range of emotions from the original image. The true beauty of the images is destroyed and people get a different view of the image when it is taken through the lens of a camera. He states that when a camera reproduces a painting “it destroys the idea that images are timeless” (Berger 18). It offered multiple angles and perspectives depending on the camera and the lens. However, with the invention of the camera, it changed the way in which images were viewed. Originally, perspective, as he explains it “makes the single eye the centre of the visible world” (Berger 19). This means that the way people view art is subjective to the person.
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There are many factors and assumptions which influence the ways in which people view art such as “Beauty, Truth, Genius, Civilization, Form, Status, Taste, etc.” (Berger 11). When viewing art, he states “the way people look at it is based on the assumptions people have learned over the years about art. He starts by stating that “the way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe” and that “we never look at just one thing we are always looking in relation between things and ourselves” (Berger 8, 9). This article written by John Berger focuses on the ways in which we view art as well as how women are perceived.