Ways of Seeing

I thought this article touched on some interesting ideas and perspectives, but I found it difficult to follow. It was hard to clearly see the images provided and understand what the author was getting at. Some of the examples weren’t clearly explained and I feel like some of the paragraphs ended abruptly. I was also lost when he stated that art is cutting people off from their past and making history mysterious.

            I thought Berger’s story about Hals and his painting of the Governors and Governesses was a little far-fetched. There is no way to know how Hals was feeling about his subjects. Without background knowledge of the relationship between the subjects and painter it appears to be a normal painting.

            The beginning was easiest to grasp. The idea that words cannot always explain an image and that there are different ways of seeing. Pictures really can show an event in a way words cannot. But pictures can also fall short. Without a good camera, a picture of a radiant sunset can appear watered down. What is unique to me is that every person sees colors differently. There is no way to know how a person sees an exact shade because ours eyes are different.