'Ways of Seeing' - Still A must-read for understanding our visual culture (John Berger)

‘Ways of Seeing’ is Berger’s 1972 revolutionary interrogation of the semiotics which form our artistic and visual culture. Whilst holding its limitations – being clearly of a previous generation, as well as the essays being distinctly short (the book only has around 153 pages of content) – it remains an incredibly seminal and still applicable analysis.

The book is composed of a series of essays, with four being traditional and three being pictorial. I found both forms enjoyable and well presented, as the traditional essays were also thoroughly illustrated. Said traditional essays come across as highly approachable to any level of familiarity with artistic analysis, as the language is clear and unpretentious – with the topics themselves being well explained, though I do come from an artistic background. I would note a common complaint among reviews of the newer versions of the book being of a poor quality – I had no issues with the 2008 penguin edition, though the stylised nature of the book (the entire text is in bold, with a relatively small font) is definitely “quirky”. The photographs used throughout are also in black and white, but I did not find this to hinder the viewing experience particularly.

Content-wise the book is striking – though the traditional essays were what most drew my attention. The first of these is an analysis of art history and perspectives of it, as well as how different evolutions of the artistic process have altered the purpose of art, a theme that runs throughout the book. It is a pleasant introduction to the book, and perhaps one of the least controversial chapters – though I felt it was significantly less interesting than the essays which follow it. The second written essay, an analysis of the female nude, was possibly my favourite. Focussing on the specifically female role as both the surveyor and surveyed in art, the analysis Berger draws from the works stuck me as incredibly relevant to a female experience that even transcends the topic of art. It does, however, fall foul to its shortness – some odd generalisations stood out, like that of all non-European art presenting nakedness as ‘never supine in this [submissive, western] way’. Similarly, sudden blanket assertions like ‘hair is associated with sexual power’ were less well evidenced or explained – frequently coming across as unconvincing – but this is nit-picking an otherwise compelling chapter.

The third and fourth chapters really establish the more Marxist tone of the work and are somewhat interlinked: first analysing oil-painting as a capitalist endeavour to reflect personal wealth, then looking at photography as taking over this role in modern publications (particularly media and advertising). Though these essays seemed to gain the most heat in the (few) negative reviews for being outdated, I actually found them to be heavily applicable to modern life. The chapter on oil painting is obviously an oversimplification, and I would recommend reading it alongside other artistic analysis (or just taking it with a grain of salt). However, the chapter on colour photography and its use within capitalism and advertising seems very compatible with our contemporary institutions – I would likely recommend it above the other essays for this reason if I had to just choose one. It brought together what are common perceptions of the main methods of advertising in a way in which really illuminated a deeper psychological manipulation and appeal, which I shall not spoil as I encourage reading it oneself.

Overall, it is a short, easily available and intellectually accessible read, and I could not recommend it more. I would especially advise it for anyone wanting an entry point into artistic analysis, as it is a incredibly culturally significant gateway into a further understanding of the topic.

NOTE: Whilst here I only refer to Berger, the collection is also attributed to the ideas of Dibb, along with Sven Blomberg, Chris Fox, and Richard Hollis. This is done for ease, and because the collection is commonly attributed to Berger alone, as on the front cover of the book. Also, if you are further interested, the book is accompanied by a TV series on the same topics.