The Way of Watching: Book spines or covers with flaws

Author: Berg
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: A people or class whose history has been cut off has far less right to free choice and action than a people or class that has always been able to place itself within history. This is why—the only reason—all ancient art has become a political issue. In European nude art, the painter, the viewer-collector is usually male, while the subject of the painting is often female. This unequal relationship is deeply rooted in our culture, to the extent that it shapes the psychological state of many women. They treat themselves as men treat them. They examine their femininity as men do. Oil painting is to phenomenon what capital is to social relations. Advertising is the lifeblood of capitalist culture—capitalism has reached a point where it cannot survive without advertising—but advertising is also its dream. In terms of its stimulation and influence on art, John Berger's Ways of Seeing is unparalleled. This small booklet, originally published in 1972 and based on the BBC's television series, includes 7 articles, 4 of which are accompanied by images, while the other 3 are purely visual. Each article discusses a theme, such as: art and politics, women as objects of gaze, the contradictions of oil painting, and advertising and the capitalist dream. For over 30 years, the book has sparked debates that have endured, and its views have become almost common knowledge in this field.