"Ways of Seeing"

“Ways of Seeing” is a book on art criticism that provides readers with tools on how to “read” media as we know it – whether it is an oil painting, an advertisement, a sculpture, among others – as well as unravel the ideological assumptions that inspire and shape media to be the way it is. It highlights what gets said and unsaid on things that are considered art. It raises questions that usually go unspoken and unanswered. Surprisingly, the most fascinating aspect of this book, apart from the ideas it presented, is the very book itself.

On the bottom portion of the book cover, one sees the text “The way we see things is affected by what we”.  (Berger, 1990) An unfinished line, or so it seems, enough to unsettle you as a reader, especially if you are used to reading traditional books. “The way we see things is affected by what we” what? What we see or don’t see, read or don’t read, what’s written or remains unwritten? You see the words, but they do not make sense. Or does it? Thankfully, one understands the meaning upon reading the first essay.

When you reach the “Note to the reader”, it states, “[t]his book has been made by five of us.”  (Berger, 1990) Composed of seven essays – some textual, others pictorial, the authors wrote the book without making the book itself self-conscious about authorship. Each essay does not indicate and is actually silent on who wrote each article, whether it is John Berger, Sven Blomberg, Chris Fox, Michael Dibb or Richard Hollis. All five claim authorship of the book without delving into who wrote which essay in the book.

“The book consists of seven numbered essays. They can be read in any order.”  (Berger, 1990) Once again, this is delineation from the typical chapter-by-chapter reading of a book. They actually suggest that the reader read it in any order! What a challenge to the very language of book publishing! The book ends with “To be continued by the reader…”  (Berger, 1990) A nice touch, really, as if it was their way of acknowledging the heuristic value of their own creation, and admitting that what they’ve written is not set in stone.

The book does not tread lightly in its critical viewing of what is commonly perceived of as art. While it is true that there are people who approach art with the same reverence as they approach their religion (ergo, untouchable, absolute and incontestable), the authors showed art is and should be subject to questioning, interpretation and further research, not to be taken merely at face value. Art does not exist in a vacuum. There are many factors that come into play when deciding what gets considered art. Though the realm of art might seem an open space, free for all, it is actually a controlled socio-cultural arena. Even the locations where people view art (for example, museums and art galleries) are policed areas with its corresponding rules and regulations.

Art in itself reflects the capitalistic ideology of consumption. It becomes a product of commodification once the marketplace sets the value on what is artistic. Purchasing power serves as a necessary component in determining what is art and what is not. For people to assume that an artifact’s artistic value is intrinsic to the artifact itself ignores other issues such as mode of production. Is it overgeneralization to say that art is for the rich? Based on the book, essay #1 presented a table showing “how closely an interest in art is related to privileged education.”  (Berger, 1990, p. 24) Who has the ways and means to acquire a privileged education, but the rich?

The book also examined how women were represented in various media, including the concept of “The Gaze” and how it is exceedingly male. The concept of “The Gaze” was further expounded by Laura Mulvey’s essay “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema”, specifically under “Woman as Image, Man as Bearer of the Look”:

“The determining male gaze projects its fantasy onto the female figure, which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness.”  (Mulvey, 1990, p. 33)

Was art used as a marginalizing instrument to further the dominance of the patriarchal discourse? Does it limit the woman in the narrow confines of the naturalized order of system? These questions came to mind while reading the issues on women’s representation.

Overall, the book’s strength lies in its willingness to question assumptions, including matters treated as givens.  There are various ways of seeing – no right or wrong way. To be an effective media practitioner, one has to be cognizant of one’s subjectivities, stay informed and be prepared to challenge long-held beliefs, whether it is yours or others.

Bibliography

Berger, J. (1990). Ways of Seeing. British Broadcasting Corporation and Penguin Books.

Mulvey, L. (1990). Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema. (P. Erens, Ed.) Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.


[Submitted as Sacred Heart University's CM501 class requirement]