UNIVERSIDAD NACIONAL DE CATAMARCA

FACULTAD DE HUMANIDADES

LITERATURA DE GRAN BRETAA E IRLANDA

Ways of Seeing by John Berger

Profesora: Lilen Malugani Guillet

Alumna: Karin del Valle Lobo
Curso: 3er ao, Profesorado en Ingls

-2015-
Ways of seeing in our contemporary world
 Ways of seeing is a BBC Television Series created by John Berger in 1972, which
consists of four programmes. Later, Bergers programmes have been adapted into a book,
in which the authors try to extend and elaborate the ideas previously proposed by him.
Topics such as the mechanical reproduction, female nude, the use of oil paintings, publicity
and advertising are deeply discussed, and lead to think about the importance of the different
ways of seeing these can produce on the beholders eye. In this work, I am going to try to
reflect some of the topics mentioned by John Berger, on our contemporary world. But it is
necessary to point out that times have changed, and together with this, the way at which
people see and work around the art issues.

The history of one country, province, region, etc. reflects itself on visual art, for this
reason, it tends to vary according to many aspects, being it possible to find a great range of
different forms of art. Since many years ago, people have been interested in art, as through
this, they could represent their ideas, their feelings, their beliefs, their vision of the world,
among others things. Art is an essential component of culture; it generally represents
economic and social classes, the transmission of ideas and values, which are unique and
different in every part of the world. The art issue, have also been object of criticism and
disputes for so long, as this can lead to multiple interpretations that tend to be different in
each culture, generation, epoch, society, etc. But, it is a fact that, over time, the conception
of art has changed. As the act of seeing centres on each person, this is widely influenced
and affected by the beliefs and knowledge they have, which at the same time allows them
to create their own perspectives. An image is a persons recreated vision that reflects a way
of see things, as it was exposed in John Bergers book Ways of seeing:

Every image embodies a way of seeing. Even a photograph. [] The photographers

way of seeing is reflected in his choice of subject. The painters way of seeing is
reconstituted by the marks he makes on the canvas or paper. Yet, although every image
embodies a way of seeing, our perception or appreciation of an image depends also
upon our own way of seeing. (Berger, 1972: 10)
 Our history, culture and beliefs are encompassed in the visual art of our region, the
region of the Northwest Argentina, more precisely the province of Catamarca. Throughout
the time, many artists have devoted to perform artworks, which were supposed to be unique
and original of the place for which these were designed. For instance, in churches, paintings
are considered to be an essential part of the buildings memory and particularity. But with
the invention of the camera and the development of the pictorial reproduction, it was
possible to make images travel towards the spectator, destroying their originality and
changing the way at which people see them. In his book, John Berger analyses this topic:

The uniqueness of every painting was once part of the uniqueness of the place where it
resided. Sometimes the painting was transportable. But it could never be seen in two
places at the same time. When the camera produces a painting, it destroys the
uniqueness of its image. As a result its meaning changes. Or more exactly, its meaning
multiplies and fragments into many meanings. (Berger, 1972: 19)

Nowadays, it is easy to find such images everywhere; what is more, the same images
enter to many places at the same time. As consequence, when images enter to a particular
place, these are surrounded by the things that form part of that place, which tend to make
the beholder form a meaning different of the original one. In other words, the original
meaning is distorted.
 Another aspect that produces changes on the way of seeing has place when images
are accompanied by words, which provokes a particular effect on reproduced images. This
way of displaying images together with words is commonly used in museums, as it is a way
to offer to the beholder a description of the painting. But, it is also found in other means; as
through this, it is possible to transmit some interesting and useful information. How this
change is produced, is discussed in John Bergers book: The meaning of an image is
changed according to what one sees immediately besides it or what comes immediately
after it. Such authority as it retains, is distributed over the whole context in which it
appears. (Berger, 1972: 29) The vision of things that people create generally depends on
the expectations they have about art.

Many techniques have been applied in works of art, and some of these have persisted
throughout time. One clear example is Oil painting, which constitutes an art form used to
describe and represent things. Some time ago, it was considered that oil paintings were an
instrument of knowledge and possession, but nowadays artists do not use this technique
necessarily to represent such things. Despite the fact that oil painting is still an option
chosen by some painters, it is possible to recognize that, at some point, photographs have
replaced this traditional form of art. Nevertheless, any painting or image cannot be
compared to the illusionism created by oil paintings. The norms used in oil paintings tend
to establish a determined conception related to the way people see subjects as landscape,
women, food, mythology, etc. As the beholders eye moves throughout the whole painting,
it perceives things, at the same time it translates that into the tactile perception language,
what causes the illusion of looking at real objects and materials. That different way of
seeing things is what establishes a great difference between oil paintings and any other
technique or form of art. Like the other topics, John Berger also explains this one in his
book: What distinguishes oil painting from any other form of painting is its special ability
to render the tangibility, the texture, the lustre, the solidity of what it depicts. It defines the
real as that which you can put your hands on. (Berger, 1972: 88)

Sometimes the objects and subjects painted in oil paintings, represent symbols and
allusions, which can be interpreted according to the spectators own perspectives and the
beliefs and knowledge they have about their culture and history. This aspect also makes
people elaborate a different concept about what they see in such paintings.
 As images and paintings have become reproducible, these are used in many contexts
and for different purposes. Not only images, but also paintings and sculptures, appear on
magazines, on newspapers, on the internet, on leaflets, on the television screen, etc. So, it is
possible to allege that such things are part of our daily lives because we are constantly in
contact with them. Currently, many works of art are found in publicity images, but as we
are accustomed to see these everywhere and every day of our lives, it is difficult for us to
notice their total impact. As everything centres on the eye of the spectator and we see what
we want to look at, each one gives it a significant meaning, which can be related to the
particular interests people have.

Publicity generally shows something different from our reality, which leads to think
about multiple meanings and create different interpretations, because its unique purpose is
to promote something in order to transform our lives. Or it is also possible to find news and
advertisements together, which provokes an impact on the way of seeing, because of the
coexistence of two different worlds. In the book, John Berger argues that: The contrast
between publicitys interpretation of the world and the worlds actual condition is a very
stark one, and this sometimes becomes evident in the colour magazines which deal with
news stories. (Berger, 1972: 151) Publicity is usually effective because it tends to be feed
upon the reality.
 As the art issue has changed with the pass of the time, it constitutes an essential factor
in the way at which people modify their conception about things, which consequently
distorts the original meaning of these. The way at which people form a vision of the world
that surrounds them, is affected and influenced by various aspects, such as their beliefs,
their knowledge, their history, their culture, etc. So, starting from these, people tend to
create their own perspectives and interpretations. At the same time, advances in the world,
among it is possible to mention, the invention of the camera, the pictorial reproduction, the
use of a different form of art as the oil painting, the constant use of publicity images, also
changed the way of seeing things.
Reference List:

Sources:

Berger, J., Blomberg, S., Fox, C., Dibb, M. & Hollis, R. (1972). Ways of Seeing. Great
Britain: British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books.

Dibb, M. (producer), Berger, J. (writer), 1972, Ways of Seeing [BBC Television Series],
Great Britain.

Kleon, A. (2008). Ways of Seeing by John Berger [PNG]. Retrieved from URL
(https://www.flickr.com/photos/deathtogutenberg/2956342918/in/photostream/)