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John Berger “Ways of Seeing"

“No other kind of relic or text from the past can offer such a direct testimony about the world which surrounded other people at other times. In this respect images are more precise and richer than literature” (10). This quote really resonated with me; because I feel that it in some ways contradicts some of the previous points Berger makes. For example Berger points out that how we, as humans, “see things is affected by what we know or what we believe… We only see what we look at” (8). I feel that these two points contradict each other. While an image is a powerful means of learning about the past, it only really offers us one person’s vision; we are only seeing what the artist wants us to see. We all have our own interpretational bias’ based on the individual events in our lives; all of which cause us to view the world differently. This phenomenon of interpretational bias is the reason I don’t feel images should be seen as the most powerful insight to history. I think they are important and can show us a lot, but they are also somewhat narrow in what they show us; we are not necessarily seeing the “whole picture.” 

Flower Beds in the Dresden Garden

This was by far my favorite painting I saw all day. It is oil on canvas piece was created by German artist Ernst Ludwig Kirchner c. 1910. What initially drew me to this piece was the vibrant colors and simple lines, it really seemed to pop off the wall and out of the frame. Kirchner's choice to use such vibrant colors for a landscape, as opposed to Earth tones, to me gives this piece an almost mystical feeling, as you don't typically see such vibrant colors in an average landscape.

Large Cliff with Fish

This oil on canvas piece was made by Henri Matisse in 1920. What I enjoyed most about this piece is the simplicity of lines and colors. Personally, I  felt the simplicity was fitting, as I get the same feeling when viewing a landscape of an ocean or another body of water in real life. 

View of St. Lazare Railway Station, Paris

This oil on canvas piece was created by French artist, Norbert Goeneutte in 1887. I enjoyed this piece because it kind of reminded me of a photograph; as it really seems to capture real, everyday life.