After a re-viewing of the 1969 series Civilisation by Kenneth Clark this past year, I was reading various articles about it. One reviewer recommended watching the shorter 1972 four-part series Ways of Seeing by John Berger as the "other side" of Art History. I never had heard about it, or at least did not remember it, but off I went into YouTube in search of it.
When I was done with the first episode, I decided that I was going to purchase the book as well since this was a fresh look at Art. Well, at least a fresh look to me of European Art.
Several writers have disparaged Berger's series, stating that he does not give a full account of Art as did Clark. I judge this as unfair for the simple reason that four half-hour episodes are simply not going to be a full counter to Clark. Further, I do not think that Berger was as much trying to balance Clark as much as he was trying to show another side of European Art.
While Clark engaged the formal aspects of Art and their historical context, Berger presented the economic context more so (after all, Berger was a Marxist) as well as the social context of a human being "seeing" Art in new settings.
Further, and as weighty, he discussed as near a phenomenological reduction of Art as any philosopher could ask. First, Berger helped the viewer take the presuppositions off the field of perception by showing artwork playing diverse sorts of music; he demonstrated how the background music played a role as to how one understands the artwork.
Manipulation of the audience perception of an artwork through the music is clear enough.
Next, he then exhibited artwork without music as one would see these elsewhere. And, lastly, he offered artwork in other contexts just as we see them today and as no one in the past could have done so; in magazines, on TV, in commercial advertising.
These various perceptions of artwork showed how the social context can be manipulated and understood as such so as to be avoided.
Berger also dove into the notion as to how a person sees in contrast to how a camera sees, how the setting of the viewer surely needs consideration as well, and the relation of the artwork to the viewer--is it just a commodity?
Much more to say about this short but pithy series as Berger touched on serious philosophical issues concerning our understanding of Art. While Clark provides a wonderful commentary as to the importance of Art in regards to the progress of human spirit (however construed), it becomes a bit too tidy at times.
Berger, however, revealed the precious, delicate state of Art in its own time and how many paintings considered "Art" need review. I think it would be rewarding for any artist to watch Berger's series to remind one how such a particular selection of history may skew ideas about Art.
You can view all four episodes here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pDE4VX_9Kk
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