Books : Ways of Seeing
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 759.94
EAN: 9780670752737
ISBN: 0670752738
Label: Viking Adult
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
Number Of Pages: 160
Publication Date: September 27, 1973
Publisher: Viking Adult
Sales Rank: 1090209
Studio: Viking Adult
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
"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.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
Sure, it was written in the 1970's, sure it's full of Marxist theory, sure it's over-confident in its theorizing. But so what? This is a great book! I use it in my high school Theory of Knowledge class and in Art History too. The kids "get" Berger's ideas (outdated though they've been called) and it's always a great discussion starter!
Rating:  -
this product was delieved in a short time. A+ for that. but i give it a C for the quality of the book. yes its a used book but i think they could have selected a better looking book. over all B
Rating: -
Even though "Ways of Seeing" is a flawed book in many ways, it is so seminal in the development of post-modern image making that it must be considered essential reading in critical theory.
The book is based on a television series. The book itself is only 176 pages. The print is all in a bold, sans-serif font. The authors are quick to claim that the book was made, not written. The pictures used to demonstrate the points are small and in black and white.
The book is based on the theory that the interpretation of western art evolved out of the power and finance structure of western civilization. Inevitably books that describe the world primarily in economic terms, as an arena of conflict and a battle by the rich for dominance of the poor, are referred to by some as Marxist and I have no doubt this book has been so described.
The book has seven chapters, four of which are written and three of which are reproductions of art works without words. The theme developed is that the way people view art is strongly affected by the power structure of the society.
I must confess that the three chapters that were solely illustrated were difficult for me to engage, both because of the size of the images as well as the difficulty of following the thread which I felt ran through the pictures even though I was not able to decode the message.
The first chapter is based on and explicates the work of the critic Walter Benjamin in ... Read More
Rating:  -
"Ways of Seeing " has become so universally available, so overused (especially in academia), and so often quoted, that it's refreshing to read the reviews of so many intelligent naysayers here. "Ways of Seeing" is perhaps mistitled in that it really proposes only one way of seeing works of art, which is as artifacts in the history of capitalism. It is propaganda, and like most propaganda, it heavily skews the evidence in favor of it's main argument, which is basically that European art from Raphael to Picasso is just a tool for enslaving women, non-Europeans and the working classes. (Warning: Berger is a real kill-joy. If you read this book and imbibe it's themes, be prepared to never innocently enjoy your favorite old masters again!) However, I would advise anyone with a serious interest in art criticism and theory to get a copy, fill the margins with notes, consult the original sources, and decide for herself/himself how well it stands up. To give just one instance of how sloppy Berger can be, I would invite the reader to consider whether he bothered to learn anything about the art of perspective drawing before indicting it as ideologically tainted, and then trashing it, all in two short paragraphs.
Rating: -
Ways of Seeing is about looking at art, if you get right down to it. However, it is about looking at it from a political point of view, or a cultural point of view, or a gender point of view. He takes a few different actual art pieces and writes about each of them, taking this sort of thing into account.
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