Berger's "Ways of Seeing"
A very potent excerpt indeed, this article does not stray one bit from its focus of Consumerism and Capitalism. I heartily agree with a large amount of the positions taken on Publicity and the media. I especially liked the connection that is made with our working conditions and how the passive worker becomes the active consumer, daydreaming about the future and what he or she will want. The only thing I do disagree with, or I should say seems overlooked, is the double edged sword of Capitalism. Take the oil painters, for example, of which a portion of the text is focused. Berger states that the publicity of an oil painting presents wealth and culture, as well as the purchase of it denotes an item of value and luxury, thus is an example of Capitalism, defining what is desired and what something is worth. I agree with this but what Berger does not mention is why the painting was painted in the first place. Most probably it was so the artist could make a living. It may be that only in a Capitalistic free market society can the artist attempt to support him or herself by artwork only. From Berger's analysis of oil paintings, I wonder if he has come to the point to believe that every act of art is in fact an act of publicity. One might suggest that this is true because of how the mind 'consumes' art already. And of course it is the dialogs that come up like this that make the text so noteworthy. I am curious when this was written.