John Berger - Ways of Seeing , Episode 1 (1972)
We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at them relation between things and ourselves — John Berger
An image, according to Berger is something that was recreated and reproduced to represent something that is not necessarily present or available in one's surrounding. Recognition is highly dependent on the knowledge and experience of individuals, therefore the viewers' comprehension of an image depends on their way of seeing. Berger stated that reproductions acquires a new meaning from the original artwork as they have become more accessible and long lasting, even imperishable as they are mostly digitized today. In the BBC Program, Berger demonstrated how background music that could easily be overlook could significantly change the mood of a painting, selecting specific parts of a painting and arranging them in a particular order, along with certain words and narratives can transform the symbolic meaning of the painting entirely, just like how a filmmaker tells edits his videos to convey a story. Berger's idea suggests that the connotation of an image depends on its context.
Due to the reproduction of artworks, the image is no longer "precious", the uniqueness does not lie in the image itself, the original on the other hand becomes invaluable. Berger stated because the privileged struggled for a narrative in history that justify the role of the ruling class which no longer has the same achievements it once had, the need for the mystification of art is thus formed ( Maribelle, 2017 ). The mystification of art would eventually deprive society and individuals of the history the rightfully own as the perspective and opinion of art this generation has changed, influenced by the monetary value and publicity which was imposed on them (Brzostowska, 2011). The price value of art in the art market and the use of images in advertising further consolidate Berger's theory of the mystification of art.
References
Berger, J. (1973) "Ways of Seeing", Penguin, pp.1-14. Available at: https://booksite.elsevier.com/
samplechapters/9780240516523/9780240516523.PDF (Accessed: 20 February 2019).
Berger, J. (1973) "Ways of Seeing", Penguin, pp.1-14. Available at: http://waysofseeingwaysof
seeing.com/ways-of-seeing-john-berger-5.7.pdf (Accessed: 20 February 2019).
Brzostowska, M. (2011) "Berger: Mystification and Reproduction of Art", November 2. Available at: http://monikabrzostowska.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu/2011/11/02/berger-and-the-reproduction-of-art/ (Accessed: 20 February 2019).
Gunaratnam, Y. and Bell, V. (2017) " How John Berger changed our way of seeing art", The Conversation, January 5. Available at: https://theconversation.com/how-john-berger-changed-our-way-of-seeing-art-70831 (Accessed: 20 February 2019).
GradeSaver. (2019) "Ways of Seeing Study Guide". GradeSaver, February [Online]. Available at: https://www.gradesaver.com/ways-of-seeing (Accessed: 20 February 2019).
Maribelle. (2017) "mystification of art; why?", Q&ART, November 22. Available at: https://questionsandart.com/2017/11/22/mystification-of-art-why/ (Accessed: 20 February 2019).
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