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Ways of Seeing
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
23 posts | 41 read | 50 to read
"Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak. "But there is also another sense in which seeing comes before words. It is seeing which establishes our place in the surrounding world; we explain that world with words, but word can never undo the fact that we are surrounded by it. The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled." John Berger's Ways of Seeing is one of the most stimulating and the most influential books on art in any language. First published in 1972, it was based on the BBC television series about which the (London) Sunday Times critic commented: "This is an eye-opener in more ways than one: by concentrating on how we look at paintings . . . he will almost certainly change the way you look at pictures." By now he has. "Berger has the ability to cut right through the mystification of the professional art critics . . . He is a liberator of images: and once we have allowed the paintings to work on us directly, we are in a much better position to make a meaningful evaluation" -Peter Fuller, Arts Review "The influence of the series and the book . . . was enormous . . . It opened up for general attention to areas of cultural study that are now commonplace" -Geoff Dyer in Ways of Telling
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Magdalenka
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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My April Christmas gift …. That‘s what I read this month (( one of many reads ))

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typefetishist
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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Another truth bomb.

Darklunarose Very on point. 4y
10 likes1 comment
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typefetishist
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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“the publicity image steels her love of herself as she is, and offers it back to her for the price of the product” 🤯🤯🤯

review
typefetishist
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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Pickpick

So many truths in this book. Made me think about a lot of things, didn‘t agree with everything but a very interesting read. Will not walk into museums in quite the same way and will definitely try to be more conscious of how publicity makes us feel 😳

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MrBook
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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Replenishments for the #GreatestBooks Display 😁! I‘m relieved to see books getting borrowed off of this one; I figured patrons would think them too old, boring, and full of wind-baggery.

Have you read any of these?!

#LitsyLovesLibraries #MrBooksDisplays

BookNAround I read Ways of Seeing many years ago in grad school. I remember it as dull but maybe my older self would appreciate it more. 5y
8little_paws I thought ways of seeing was pretty interesting, and the 4 part documentary on YouTube was really good. 5y
jb72 I‘d like to read the Darwin book someday. I enjoy science type books. 5y
68 likes3 comments
review
Emilymdxn
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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Pickpick

The perfect introduction to art theory probably, I wish someone had made me read this years ago. This illustrates perfectly how easy it is for great writers of theory to illustrate complex theoretical points in simple language. If I was a teacher of any kind I‘d set this as absolutely essential reading, for pretty much any subject

Liz_M I'm pretty sure I read this in university for an intro to sociology class, so you aren't the only one to think it is helpful in any discipline. 😁 5y
wordzie 😎 5y
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Emilymdxn
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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Art theory and quick dinner at a Korean place before i head to the festival hall for Marlon James. Been a very anxious day for me but I‘m excited for Marlon!

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Emilymdxn
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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Next up to round out the last day of #24b4monday and keep working on the shelves and shelves of unread books in my rook. I‘m making really good progress on them at the moment, I‘m grateful for the motivation I‘ve had. This will be 9/50 books I aim to read and give away this year

Severnmeadows Thankyou for the reminder - this has been on my list to read for a long time 5y
8little_paws Watch his docuseries of the same name on youtube. Well worth your time. 5y
batsy I love Berger. Though this is all I've read and watched, and read some of his essays and articles. I love his mind and really appreciate his politics. I'm sad he's gone. 5y
55 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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Lindy
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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When I saw that Overdrive had a newly-added audiobook, John Berger‘s Ways of Seeing, I got excited. It‘s been a long time since I read it and I looked forward to revisiting it, even without the visual parts. Except it‘s not! It‘s an ANALYSIS of John Berger‘s Ways of Seeing. Waaah! ☹️

SkeletonKey How disappointing! 6y
29 likes1 comment
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batsy
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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"Oil painting, before it was anything else, was a celebration of private property. As an art-form it derived from the principle that you are what you have."

Painting: "Mr and Mrs Andrews" by Thomas Gainsborough, c. 1750

#estates #150PnPCoverParty @CrowCAH @LeahBergen

Suet624 Apparently this Mr. and Mrs. had a lot! 6y
batsy @Suet624 Right? You'd think it would make them smile... 6y
Suet624 Probably had bad teeth - but lots of land. 6y
See All 19 Comments
LauraBeth There was a recent bio on Gainsborough that took another look at this painting 🤭 6y
batsy @Suet624 Yes, good point. And sitting for hours to be painted... I guess smiling would be painful 😀 6y
batsy @LauraBeth Thank you, I looked it up! Must be the one that came out last year. The Guardian review is interesting. 6y
CrowCAH Beautiful quote and painting! That is some estate; lots of land!!! 6y
batsy @CrowCAH At that moment she felt that to be mistress of might be something! 😁 6y
CrowCAH @batsy great use of a P&P quote! ☺️ 6y
Caksf @batsy this book is right up my alley! Great quote! 6y
batsy @Caksf It's great! Not jargony, fluidly written. Can't recommend it enough! :) 6y
LeahBergen I had this image on a metal pencil box I used in university (can you say “dork”? 😂). Hmm... I probably still have it. 🤔 6y
batsy @LeahBergen 😁❤️ Coveting that metal pencil box! #DorksUnite 6y
Lindy ❤️John Berger 6y
Lindy I had an art teacher who offered this painting as an example of poor composition and I argued strongly against her. It depends on how much visual weight you personally assign to landscape elements. @LeahBergen (edited) 6y
batsy I love him and his perspective and writing, @Lindy ! I need to read more of his work. And I know next to nothing of art but it's a stunning use of composition, imo 😊 Also makes sense when Berger explains that the choice of emphasising the landscape is a deliberate one; their vast estate is the point. 6y
Lindy @batsy Yes, exactly. I felt so vindicated on this point when I read Berger. 6y
ValerieAndBooks You are making me feel guilty about my TBR pile — I still haven‘t read this either 😂 6y
batsy @ValerieAndBooks 😂 You're cracking me up! No need to feel guilty, you're among people who understand too well! 6y
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review
lalatiburona
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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Pickpick

Adding this book to my curriculum of life: "Capitalism survives by forcing the majority, whom it exploits, to define their own interests as narrowly as possible. This was once achieved by extreme deprivation. Today in the developed countries it is being achieved by imposing a false standard of what is and what is not desirable."

RaimeyGallant Fantastic quote. 6y
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lalatiburona
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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"A woman must continually watch herself. She is almost continually accompanied by her own image of herself. Whilst she is walking across a room or whilst she is weeping at the death of her father, she can scarcely avoid envisaging herself walking or weeping. From earliest childhood she has been taught and persuaded to survey herself continually."

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TheLazyReader
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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Pickpick

The way John Berger talks about Art History is quite different from anything I have read before. The way he links politics and contemporary culture to art was worth reading about.#waysofseeing #johnberger

8little_paws Yesssss! Love John Berger. 7y
TheLazyReader @8little_paws I want to read more of his work, any suggestions?? 7y
Lindy John Berger 👍 7y
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8little_paws
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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Pickpick

I really, really like how Berger connects politics and art a lot. I would like to read more art criticism in this vein. He always gives me things to think about. I don't really like the layout of this book though. It should have been a coffee table size with larger, color images. I can't wait to read Portraits and Landscapes by him, both later this year. A real delight to read this.

Why I read it: #mountTBR book 2, RIP John Berger.

69 likes2 stack adds
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8little_paws
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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🙌🙌🙌

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8little_paws
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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BOOM.

bookblog76 What's new? 7y
jpmcwisemorgan Sounds about right. 7y
specificity RIP. 7y
85 likes2 stack adds3 comments
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batsy
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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Maybe such a cliche to say he helped me to see differently, but it's the truth. Thank you, John Berger https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/a-smuggling-operation-john-bergers-theory-of...

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shawnmooney
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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RIP

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8little_paws
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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John Berger in 1972. Still innovative today.

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8little_paws
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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As John Berger passed away today, it seemed to be the right day to start this essay collection. If you haven't seen his documentary Ways of Seeing, all four parts are on YouTube. It's fantastic. RIP, John 😢

Laura317 I have never heard of him, and I wonder why? He sounds fascinating. Heading off to YouTube later this evening to check out the documentary. 7y
8little_paws @Laura317 the documentary is from the 70s but he was so ahead of his time. Talks about capitalism and art, the male gaze, among other things. It's really really good. 7y
Louise This sounds great! Thanks for posting! 🤓 7y
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8little_paws
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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I have yet to read this essay collection on art, but was inspired to buy it after watching John Berger's four part documentary also called Ways of Seeing on YouTube--I strongly recommend watching it! It's from the 70s but feels seriously ahead of its time and is a terrific starting point for understanding how to evaluate art. #seasonsreadings2016 @RealLifeReading

Lacythebookworm I ❤️ Ways of Seeing! 💕 🙌 7y
Alfoster @8little_paws Woohoo! My package just arrived! Can't wait to open. Thanks in advance!❤️❤️ 7y
8little_paws @Alfoster yay glad to hear it arrived safely! I wrapped the box in Christmas paper, then brown craft paper outside that. So if you haven't you can carefully take the brown paper off and there's a layer of Christmas wrap underneath 7y
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review
catpdx
Ways of Seeing | John Berger
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Pickpick

Library sale, (rushed) Day 1. I'll look for more tomorrow! 📚

catpdx Not books, but I was pretty happy with the Agnes Varda films! 7y
3 likes1 comment