Ways of Seeing
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Ways of Seeing is a book by John Berger that is based on the 1972 BBC television series of the same name. Ways of Seeing consists of a series of written and visual essays that raise questions about hidden ideologies in European oil painting of the 15th century until the end of the 19th century. Berger focuses particularly on depictions of women in advertisements and oil paintings, which has been particularly useful for feminist readings of popular culture. Ways of Seeing is considered to be a seminal text for current studies of visual culture, art history.
It starts with the sentence: “Seeing comes before words. The child sees and recognizes before it can speak,” which erroneously stresses the visual component of culture. As David Toop and other have since pointed out, a child hears and feels before it sees.
TOC
- Ways of Seeing, Part 1: Painting and the Camera
- Ways of Seeing, Part 2: Painting Nudes and Women
- Ways of Seeing, Part 3: Painting and Possessions
- Ways of Seeing, Part 4: Painting and Advertising
See also
References
- Berger, John. Ways of Seeing. Penguin: London, 1972. ISBN 0140216316