Ways of Seeing Summary

Summary of Ways of Seeing Book by John Berger

Name: Ways of Seeing
Rating: 4.5 (2556 reviews)
Author: John Berger

4.5 . 2556 reviews

Short summary

Have you ever thought that looking is an act of choice? Things don’t just appear for us: we actively decide to focus our attention on them. It explains why how we look at the world is totally different from one person to another. And that’s why every image, painting, or photograph embodies a way of seeing.

John Berger was an English art critic and novelist who also pursued a career as a painter. Combining all his life experiences, he made a four-part TV series on BBC in 1972, which he later made into the book Ways of Seeing. This piece explains how culture, epoch, gender, and technique influence how a person sees the world. Through this vision, the entirety of art history is made.

“If we ‘saw’ the art of the past, we would situate ourselves in history. When we are prevented from seeing it, we are being deprived of the history which belongs to us.” ~ John Berger

14 min

7 key points

7 insights

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Table of content

Summary of Ways of Seeing
About the author
What is Ways of Seeing about?
Who should read Ways of Seeing
Topics in Ways of Seeing

first key point

An image is a record of how X sees Y

Listen the first key point

00:00

Art history is a history of the visible. Early paintings were made to conserve time and conjure up the appearance of something absent. But the greatest works of art took a prominent place in cultural heritage because the creators have a unique way of seeing things.

The more imaginative the work, the more profoundly it allows us to share the artist’s experience of the visible. ~ John Berger

The artistic way of seeing is not just a personal skill. It is influenced by time and culture, religion, the aim of the painting, and the technologies used. Classical Renaissance art had a strict convention of perspective — everything was concentrated in the eye of the beholder. This idea was closely connected to Christianity because this particular eye was the eye of God, who created the surrounding world and imposed order upon it. After the world became less controlled by religion, it was no longer possible to see it this way. The invention of the camera showed that there is no center. Art had immediately reflected it in the avant-garde movements like impressionism, cubism, and expressionism.

Art is a mirror of the time in which we can see how an artist once looked at the surrounding world.

The focus of this summary is on four main ideas of the book:

• The reproductions of paintings have destroyed the uniqueness of their image.
• The European oil painting tradition shows two different types of presenting female characters wearing no clothes: nude and naked. Linguistically, these two mean the same thing, but there is a huge conceptual difference between those words, according to the author.
• Oil painting as a category of art is highly dependent on its owner’s interests: it should demonstrate the power of money.
• Nowadays, the role of oil paintings has passed to images, which we can see in public spaces. So-called “public images” are proposing to viewers a new way of seeing themselves after purchasing the advertised product.

second key point

Reproduction of art: how it changed the meaning of original work

Before the 19 century, a work of art was always connected to the place where it resided. For example, the Dutch stills of the 1600s were usually hanging on the wall in rooms meant for meetings. These paintings performed the social function of conversation starters. However, if we see them now in a museum or online, we will perceive them in an entirely different way.

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third key point

Reproduced painting is always defined by the context

fourth key point

Naked and nude woman in European oil painting

fifth key point

Buying a painting also means buying the look of the thing it represents

sixth key point

Publicity images as a resumption of traditional oil painting ideas

seventh key point

Conclusion

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What is Ways of Seeing about?

"Ways of Seeing" by John Berger is a thought-provoking exploration of how we perceive and interpret visual images in our society. Through a combination of essays and images, Berger challenges traditional notions of art, advertising, and the male gaze, urging readers to question the power dynamics and hidden meanings behind what we see. This book offers a fresh perspective on the ways in which visual culture shapes our understanding of the world around us.

Who should read Ways of Seeing

Art enthusiasts seeking a fresh perspective on visual culture.
Students studying art history or visual communication.
Individuals interested in exploring the social and political aspects of art.

Topics in Ways of Seeing

Art Perception Cultural History Photography Design Art History Critical Thinking Feminism the Middle Ages Graphic Design Creativity Philosophy Sociology Media Studies

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