Documentary

Ways of Seeing

Modern technology has changed the way we perceive and understand art. John Berger discusses the ways in which our ability to capture and reproduce art into images through cameras and TV screens has potential consequences in the alteration of our perception in a piece of art.

"Reproductions distort. Only a few facsimiles don't." - John Berger

Overview

Cameras allow art to be captured -- stored and retained forever. They can then be reproduced onto the screens of other people's TV and easily accessed by thousands and millions of others to see. However, photos are also manipulated. The alteration of the image can be done in multiple different ways, most notably by movement (e.g., zooming in into a certain subject in the art piece) or sound (e.g., adding background music).

Connection to Modern Media

John Berger's message from 1972 still rings true today, nearly fifty years later. In fact, it stretches beyond classical or physical artworks - the message applies to modern mediums as well.

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Additional Thoughts

While it is important to understand the origins and original intentions of an artwork, people should not always be condemned for their difference in interpretation. Observing an artwork in its original environment brings about an understanding of the work in its intended message (such as a classical Renaissance work in a cathedral), much like viewing and analyzing the characteristics of an animal in its natural habitat. However, paintings are not animals. I believe the beauty of an art piece lays not simply in the visuals itself, but its fluidity -- everyone can connect to an art and understand it a different way.

With that said, especially in the era of the internet, we also have to stay alert in recognizing manipulations of medias around us. The "reality" that social media or a news article show us may not necessarily be the full picture. Oftentimes, bias will be present as a consequence of what the poster chooses to include or exclude.

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