Reflection on Ways of Seeing

John Berger's series of Ways of Seeing is both a joy to watch and inspiring. Not only is its content thought-provoking, but the way Berger tells it with the corresponding clips is also very enlightening. For example, in the first episode, he talks about how the environment in which the painting is located affects the viewer's perception of it. The sound around the painting, the image before and after the painting when it is seen on TV, and the images next to the painting when it's on a newspaper, all affect one's experience of the painting. And in this video, by editing to simulate this process, the audience can actually visualize this impact.

In episode 2, Berger focuses more on how painting represents the female psyche that shown in paintings than on painting as a form. I'm inspired by his opinion that women don't seem to be born naked, but are seen to be naked. In other words, women's shame of nudity comes from being gazed at. And this gaze changes nudity from something that is natual to something that seems to be shameful. This reminds me that part of the awakening of women's self-awareness is the willingness to actively expose their bodies. At this time, the naked part is no longer something to be ashamed of, but becomes something to show off. But still, when women actively expose their bodies and show their beauty, does this nudity still have meaning because of the gaze of others, or has the meaning of itself?

The third and fourth episodes seem to be linked together as if on purpose. It never occurred to me that oil paintings could also be seen as advertisements from the old days. Its content does not only contain wealth, it is intrinsically monetarily valuable. I especially like the way Berger edited the details of the painting and the advertisements together in this video, I can't even tell which is the painting and which is the ad without careful identification. It occurred to me that the gallery in which the painting is located is even more of an advertisement today. Unlike the old days when people showed their wealth by owning paintings, now people show their high classic life style and artistic qualities by taking pictures of art museums and posting them on social media. The place where the painting is located has also become a symbol of a high valued life. And the painting itself has become a commodity to be advertised, signifying the rich spiritual world of the beholder.