John Berger Essay- Ways of Seeing

In this section Reid make emphasis in the idea of “when the audience changes, your message has to change, sometimes drastically” . Considering that statement at Ringling it would be the level of explanation needed in order to present art work in the best way possible. For example there is a difference between academic work and informative work, the first one applies a technical vocabulary, but for the second it is necessary to present a concrete idea of the artwork. Although academic and informative essays are different in some aspects, both of them share the need of very detailed

When discussing how one should look at art, paintings, or even sculptures to understand it for its full meaning Patrick Frank’s Prebles’ Artforms categorizes it in five ways; commentary, worship and ritual, commemoration, persuasion, and self-expression (Frank 23-34). I believe that these five categories can really help you when looking at any type of artwork because you can distinguish what message the artist is trying to convey and a deeper understanding of the work.

The first thing to note is the overall composition of the painting. First and foremost it is a landscape painting. The colors are very monochrome; the space is stretched to reveal a depth to the painting that the eye cannot capture; and there is stillness to the art that embraces nature and serenity of life. In the right-hand corner of the painting there is calligraphy. The calligraphy lacks the precision, but is very clear in its form, much like the depiction within the painting

I think what we are looking for in this question is the procedures used to formally analyze art work. The first step is to describe the work. This process should include The title of the work as well as who created it and when and the medium used to create the work. Our course description calls for information regarding who currently owns the artwork and its current location. Other information that can be included in the description is what kind of art it is and some history of the artist as well as history on the subject.

While observing this painting, I saw many attributes throughout the work that all contributed to the content. First,

When examining and judging a work of art from an art historian’s point of view the historical operations:

analysis of a work of art it is possible for one to more deeply understand the ideas that the

I learned that the earliest form of art began in Africa approximately two million years ago. It was interesting to find out that the work of art was an engraved ochre that had lines as if it was crossed hatches (Page 241). I also found out that other pieces of art were discovered from cave paintings to human like figurines either carved or molded by clay. Egypt had similar views their art was many of humans most higher ranking. Later, Greece began creating work of art that honored an individual’s achievements that consisted of a life-sized, freestanding either nude male or clothed woman. Most of their art involved classical art which meant it restrained emotion (256-257). Then along came the Romans which their art was tied into architecture and the engineering. They created structure such as, The Colosseum and Pantheon these structures both had similar things they had arches and columns yet, the Pantheon had a high

Berger encouraged situating oneself in each of the characters’ places in the painting, and give deep thought as to what they were doing, why, and how. While I do not possess any concrete answers to any of these questions, after examining the painting closely and doing some digging into what and where the painting takes place, I was able to form an educated hypothesis about what each characters thoughts may be. I feel as though Berger helped me to dig past the surface and critically examine what is happening

In today's discussion class, Jingyi tells a lot about the history of the world art and the appreciation of art history, which makes me feel the great content of the history of the world. In the summer of AH-2130 class I feel the charm of the history of the world art, in this semester I still feel the infinite charm of art. At the beginning of the discussion class, she told the French Ambassadors The case, which was the beginning of a discussion, and I also recorded information about the work, like the French Ambassadors by Hans Holbein. The younger. 1533/ Oil on wood panel. National Geally. After a detailed introduction, she told us how to look at art. I think this is a very good convergence process, and then she told about the formal analysis

In “Ways of Seeing”, John Berger, an English art critic, argues that images are important for the present-day by saying, “No other kind of relic or text from the past can offer such direct testimony about the world which surrounded other people at other times. In this respect images are more precise and richer literature” (10). John Berger allowed others to see the true meaning behind certain art pieces in “Ways of Seeing”. Images and art show what people experienced in the past allowing others to see for themselves rather than be told how an event occurred. There are two images that represent the above claim, Arnold Eagle and David Robbins’ photo of a little boy in New York City, and Dorothea Lange’s image of a migratory family from Texas; both were taken during the Great Depression.

Many works of art such as paintings, sculptures, and architecture show a different subject matter. When looking at a piece of artwork, we might find a piece of artwork to be eye catching and interesting to us. There are times when we can understand a piece of artwork and there are times when it can be misunderstood, if you don’t understand the meaning behind it, especially if the artwork is not a common thing that we are use to seeing. There are different cultures that express themselves differently when it comes to artwork. Some might make artwork of the living and others might make artwork of the dead. Paying close attention to smaller details of the artwork can give the viewer a better understanding of the overall artwork that was created. There is always some type of history behind a painting,

Did I yearn to feel enlightened? Did I wish to experience some divine revelation? Maybe it was unfair of me to hold the piece to such high standards, but, then again, the whole world awarded it such high esteem. Now, having seen the painting, I continued with the assignment by searching the work on google images, and this time I was not at a loss for words. I saw the meticulous, painstaking detail. I analyzed the dynamics of the piece with skills learned from A History of Art and Music. I identified the characteristics of the Renaissance. I witnessed the subjects illustrious ability to follow any and all onlookers. I saw what made the painting great. In this instance, I think I found a prime example of how humans tend to idolize things or, rather, are conditioned to idolize things before we can discern our own appreciation for them. Now, I’m not saying that it’s not justified because it is; the Mona Lisa is a special painting, enshrouded in mystery. However, standing amongst the crowd of spectators jostling one another for a better view, I only saw the meager face of a

that is constantly being used through out the book. The idea of art is prominent to the reader.

"A picture can paint a thousand words." I found the one picture in my mind that does paint a thousand words and more. It was a couple of weeks ago when I saw this picture in the writing center; the writing center is part of State College. The beautiful colors caught my eye. I was so enchanted by the painting, I lost the group I was with. When I heard about the observation essay, where we have to write about a person or thing in the city that catches your eye. I knew right away that I wanted to write about the painting. I don’t know why, but I felt that the painting was describing the way I felt at that moment.