Ways of Seeing by John Berger

This is the piece of the painting that
was carved out

At first when the video started I was very confused because it shows a man carving out the face of a woman from a European painting, as the film continues that piece of the painting becomes a work of art itself. As this is being shown the narrator of the film starts to say that he wants us to consider the way in which we see paintings and art now. The narrator continues on with saying that everything is based on perspective and everything is within the eye of the beholder. I agree with this completely because everyone just like no two experiences are exactly the same, no two perspectives are the same either.

The film continues on and it talks about the mechanical eye which is referring to a camera. The narrator is reads line from a manifesto by an old Russian film director named Dziga Vertov, he uses first person to give the camera personification and therefore a perspective. As the narrator mentioned, things can be seen differently through a lens. For example think of sports being televised. Now with advanced technology, referees and fans are able to review plays over and over again, and there's a lot more detail.

I really enjoyed the part of the video where it talks about the Renaissance chapel and how the images painted on the interior of the building is what makes up it's memory. The narrator says "Everything around it confirms and consolidates it's meaning." I was always aware of the fact that many old European buildings had very intricate structures and paintings and details, but I never thought of it as a building's meaning, or memory. I thought that point was very interesting.

Here is an example of the inside of a Renaissance Chapel