Jordyn Berry

ENGL110
4 February 2022
Berger Paper

John Berger, a well-known and respected art critic, wrote the reading Ways of Seeing.

The paper starts out with “Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it

can speak.” (Berger 7). This sets up one of the main ideas and points of Berger’s paper. Seeing

establishes our place in the world. We see with ours eyes, before anything else. What we see is

what we know. To broaden that idea, we never are looking at just one thing. Our minds

instinctively look for relation between ourselves and others. When a person is seeing something,

they already have some sort of idea in which they believe in, that can relate and alter their view.

However, with the idea that Berger proposed that seeing is what we know, we are limited.

Limited in the fact that we are only looking at what we see. We are not looking at the bigger

picture and expanding our thoughts and thinking critically and in depth. Berger stated that “To

look is an act of choice.” (Berger 8).

Berger goes on to explain the relation to art. The relationship between art and seeing, and

the artist and viewer. First, however he explains that every image, even a photograph embodies

ways of seeing. Whether it be a photographer expressing his view by choosing the subject of his

photos, or a painter painting strokes on his canvas. This all comes down to perception. What we

see versus the message. It was believed early on that art could express more than just an image.

Since people were starting to recognize that art pieces had more meaning to them, they started on

using image-markers. “This was the result of an increasing consciousness of individuality,

accompanying an increasing awareness of history.” (Berger 10). Berger thought that images

more accurately described the history over literature writings.

“Art of the Past”, Berger’s main goal from his paper. He wanted us to look at artwork

from the past. However, being in present time art from the past is often misconstrued with so
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many ideas being brought forth by different people. The history and true concept behind the art

was getting overshadowed by people who thought they knew. They made assumptions. “They

mystify rather than clarify.” (Berger 11). People like to make guesses and assumptions about

history and about what past historical artists were thinking at the time. Berger believes that this is

because of a privileged minority. The privileged minority is the group of people who have access

to historical artwork. This group of the privileged minority is trying to reinvent the past. They are

justifying the role of the ruling class. In modern days, this is politically incorrect. Justifying the

roles that were done during history does in fact, mystify the past, which is what Berger kept

urging needs to stop.

What is mystification? What is this term Berger and I keep using? Mystification is

defined as “the process of explaining away what might otherwise be evident.” (Berger 15-16).

Frans Halls was the first to portray mystification in pictorial images after the authoritative

writing on his work. Berger explained that we need to stop mystifying the past. In order to do

that Berger suggests we need to first, examine the particular reason in which exists now between

the past and the present through artwork. Second and lastly, we need ask the right questions of

the past and get a clear view and correct answers on the history of the past. The more that time

goes on, people get a better perspective on art. That is why avoiding mystification is so important

to Berger.

The invention of cameras was a talking point in Berger’s paper. With the invention of the

cameras, it changed the art world Berger believes. “The camera isolated momentary appearances

and in doing so destroyed the idea that images were timeless.” (Berger 18).

INSERT MORE OF BERGERS PAPER HERE

 Jordyn Berry
ENGL110
4 February 2022
For this paper we needed to choose a piece of artwork from the past we are unfamiliar

with. I chose the pirating called ‘Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte’ by Georges

Seurat, which is hanging up in the Art Institute of Chicago. It took two years for Seurat to finish

the painting, 1884-1886. At a first glance of the painting, I see a bunch of people dressed in 19th

century clothes enjoying a day at the park. Majority of the people in the image are looking in the

direction of the water, where there are sailboats sailing. When I think of the 19th century, I don’t

see a bunch of color, however this picture is seeming to capture exactly that. It is very colorful,

vibrant and happy. Just by looking at it, you wouldn’t think there would be a true meaning

behind it other than just to be pleasant to the eye.

Seurat’s painting can easily be mystified. Like I said before, it sort of just looks like a

pretty picture. No real meaning behind it. That is why you need to look beyond the painting and

make connections with the past. Ask questions about the time period and what was going on.

While doing to tips Berger suggested, I found out there was a sort of dark meaning behind the

painting.

The region of La Jatte, is believed to be the French Bourgeoisie. If you research what was

happening in the French Bourgeoisie at the time of Seurat’s painting, you will find that it was a

decaying class. The ruling class had “fallen victim to lust and vice” according to the analysis

done by Encyclopedia of Art. It was said that they were now in the shadows, figuratively and

literally. I also thought to look more in depth at each one of Seurat’s characters. Every character

in the artwork is doing something else and not engaging with another group.

Some critics think the overuse of women in this painting is a nod to prostitution during

that time. With the woman fishing, it hints that she is planning on catching many fish (men). If

you look at the front of the painting, you can see a woman standing with a man and she is
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holding a leash with a monkey on it. The monkey was considered a symbol of depravity back

then, and in the Parisian jargon, that was the name for prostitutes. So, the woman with the

monkey is a prostitute and the man is her client. The final thought of the painting is the little girl

in all white is looking directly at us. She’s the only one in the painting doing so. She embodies us

the viewers. The white to show the innocence and, she’s looking at us, like she’s also looking for

the answers on what this embodies. While depicting the painting I used John Berger’s tips to stop

mystification. I asked the correct questions about the history and got a sense of what Seurat was

envisioning in his artwork, without mystifying the past.

John Berger ends his paper with a quote that rings true, to this day, “The art of the past no

longer exists as it once did. Its authority is lost.” (Berger 33). What he is saying is that art is no

longer an importance in life. Art is not something many people crave to see anymore. This day in

age it is so easy just to go on your phone and look up an art piece, rather than travel to see the

real one. Berger believed that the “art of the past no longer exists the way it once did.” (Berger

33).

In conclusion, John Berger’s story, Ways of Seeing he spoke on the importance art has on

view and power, especially is the past. Berger challenges his readers to look at art from the past.

If we are not doing that, looking at art from past life, we are “being deprived of the history which

belongs to us.” (Berger 11). However, he also believes that there is a privileged minority that

only has access to seeing art from the past. That privileged minority also mystifies the past by

explain away what is evident. They are changing the roles of the ruling class, in hopes of making

it seem better. That brings me to Berger’s next point, mystification. Burger wanted people to stop

mystifying past artwork. He thought that we needed to ask questions to better understand what

was going on. For me I see Berger’s argument and his side however, I believe art is however you
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see it. I believe that the artist wants you to guess what it is and think in depth of what they were

trying to say. Not just ask questions. Berger did a great job of explaining his points of view and

backing them up. He believes art is a privilege. Art and power go hand in hand.

Berger, John “Ways of Seeing.” Penguin Books, 1972, pp. 7-33.

List of things to still do:

Not sure how I want to go about the camera paragraph however I think that it is important so I

want to keep it in there. I also could not find the same article that I used for one of my citations

so I need to find it so that I can put it in the citations.