WAYS OF SEEING
July 3rd, 2009
We wanted to offer our readers a little food for thought on this holiday weekend, and what could be better than an excerpt of art historian John Berger pondering the female form? His 1972 BBC television series was also published as a series of thought-provoking essays in the book Ways of Seeing. Today it is a must-read for art history students and artists alike.
Here is a little quote from the video, which we found particularly intriguing: “To be naked is to be oneself, to be nude is to be seen naked by others and yet not recognized for oneself.”
What do you think of Berger’s ideas? Are they still relevant, or do you find them outdated?
July 3rd, 2009 at 6:23 pm
I think this could be said about everyone. It’s just become more prevalent. Seeping into gay culture, main-stream and male. The sometimes self loathing of look. As we constantly seek unattainable perfection of self (and by extension the people we surround ourselves with).
The glance, the obsession with image, is not just for women anymore. The way we mirror each other through glance. John himself has gazed into his own dressing room mirror on more then one occasion.
Our self-image constantly judged.
What is different is our definition of sexy. Thin is now in. That has not always been the case. What is more ubiquitous is our ability to force ourselves to seek the unattainable. Maybe even pushing away people who do not fit the mold. We ourselves have created. i.e. real people try to compete with photoshopped models on an all to quick basis. They can not win.
And the nude, is the purest form of discovering vulnerability. That he did not touch.
http://www.alexgeana.info
July 8th, 2009 at 7:05 pm
this is a really thought provoking video - the idea of always being available for the gaze of others keeps resonating with me. its vain, but we clearly desire this type of attention, especially in fashion. what can you do?