“Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak.” John Berger’s statement clearly emphasizes the value of eyesight. It is one of the first abilities given to us at infancy, allowing us to interpret the world in which we are surrounded by. The gift of sight combined with speech helps us gain our beliefs and from our beliefs, stems our perceptions.
Being that every person holds a different set of believes, we as an entire can gaze at the same fixation and encompass different perspectives. John Berger enlightens this truth through art. As a painter begins to paint the portrait of his chosen subject, he will involve his perspective in the painting through the use of specific details. Later on, the spectator will most certainly gain another perspective from the same work of art, and the cycle continues.
Although I disagree, Berger feels that the invention of the camera and reproduction has depreciated the value of art. He justifies his belief by stating that because a piece of art is able to be reproduced, it can be combined with other artworks and texts; in effect, altering the meanings. I would say that this is ludicrous. The reproduction of art enables artworks to not only be made accessible to the elite few but more so to the general public who take interest. This generates a means to a wider range of viewpoints, making popular paintings increase in value. Because of our present society, we determine an object’s worthiness through its market value. A piece of artwork’s market value does not necessarily have to hinder its social and spiritual value. It just so happens that our society in the past years has deterred from the appreciation of the arts. This loss of admiration should not be blamed on the production of the camera but more so, on the fact that people’s interests simply put; have changed.
Great job, Katia. I like that you have focused on what he is saying about reproduction. He definitely is arguing that the invention of the camera changed the meaning of the image, but is this, in Berger's view, in and of itself a problem? Think about what he says about someone who puts up reproductions on their board at home (729) or what he says on 731 about the new "language of images." What types of questions does he want to raise about art?
ReplyDeleteThe idea of the market value is also important and you make some could counterarguments here about whether this focus on market value does take away from its "social and spiritual value." Berger uses the term "bogus religiosity" to describe how he percieves the "impressiveness" we put on art that is based upon it's market value. How do you feel about that term and its accuracy?
There is a lot going on here, but what do you think he wants us to take away from this essay -again, what questions does he want us to ask?
It is important to note that Berger doesn't include any counterarguments in his essay. Do you think that is a weakness of the essay?
Nice job.