Ways of seeing

Written by John Berger | Min Choi moved | Yeolhwadang | Published on June 01, 2019 (1st printing August 01, 2012)

There is an act of seeing before speaking.

“Ways of Seeing”is a compilation of lectures from the 1972 television series. John Berger took a critical approach to art appreciation. At the time, there was an attitude that there was a way to appreciate art in the traditional art world, but I thought this could be a narrow-minded way that did not understand the context. This book explains in an easy-to-understand way how to view art in terms of class, race, gender, property, politics, and economy when looking at art.

The book is divided into chapters that are largely written and chapters that list images.

The first article describes the transformation from a mysterious secret to a replicable language. It explains the change in meaning that occurred when art, which was a high-end luxury item that someone used to make to decorate their home, became reproducible with the invention of photography.

The second article digs into the details of knowing that the person in the image is being seen by someone. In particular, it explains various paintings of women in a 'nude' state to be seen by men.

The third article explains the attitudes and thoughts of people who enjoyed the art of the time based on 'oil painting'. It explains the culture of 'proud' in an easy-to-understand way as a picture to reveal oneself like a modern Instagram.

Finally, I will explain 'advertising', which has a great influence on modern times. He explains that while art so far has been about conveying what exists in the present, advertising is about conveying the fantasy of a future that doesn't exist. It conveys an unattainable dream of the future and sharply points out the fact that its purpose is to determine whether or not it matches the fantasy of the viewer.

It is a book that presents a perspective to penetrate the essence of the object I see beyond the learned knowledge and limited context. It was really easy to solve the in-depth art discourse related to the act of seeing. I read it easily, probably because it is a book made up of series of lectures on television for the general public. It is easy to understand by using real examples and images rather than difficult words. This is a must-read book if you are worried about how to see an object in a new way, that is, a creative approach.

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