John Bergers Ways of Knowing Essay example -- Ways of Knowing Essays

In his jump essay of Ways of Seeing, arse Berger claims that all power, authority, and convey that was at once held by an authorized work of maneuver has been lost through the mass reproduction of these workings that has occurred in fresh years. He writes of an entirely bogus religiosity (116-117) that surrounds these artwork objects and that the meaning of the pilot burner work no longer lies in what it uniquely says but in what it uniquely is (117). He claims that because of reproduction, the art of the past no longer exists as it once did (127). Obviously, something created hundreds of years ago is not the same as it once was, but the distribution of art and music to the general public has had a positive effect on society rather than a disallow one. Works of art wee-wee even more meaning than they had when first created through the interpretations offered them by generations of critics and artificers. Fresh new sources have been given the business leader to offer th eir acumen and abilities into art, creating entire new genres of art, music, theatre, and the like. It has allowed for a truer search for association than was ever possible before. And ultimately, the search to find the true meaning of art and of the ideas of the artists forms a true sentience of religiosity, which gives passion and meaning to the lives of groups stretching utmost beyond the cultural elite. An example that Berger uses to illustrate his points is that of a filmmaker who uses images in film. Berger states that Awhen a painting is put to use, its meaning is either modified or totally changed (120) and when a painting is reproduced by a film television camera it inevitably acquires material for the film-makers argument (121). He concludes from this that scarce the original painting holds integrity while the image shown on film is an musing of the film-makers argument. However, this idea furthers the meaning of the painting by adding connotations to the one the a rtist intended. When an artist creates a painting, he or she hopes for this work to be critiqued and construe by others. These critiques and interpretations add to the full meaning of the work for everyone seeing it afterwards. Thus, we sabotage the true meaning of the work by saying it suffer only mean what the artist originally meant it to, because this is something we can never know. The viewer should order the value and meaning of each painting. The paintings... ...nable future of what we could have, and is empowered by envy. Ultimately, Berger claims that the soaring quality of art has been transformed into simple information through reproduction, when in reality this type of finis has always been about information. Through reproduction, we can strive for a truer sense of information, in reaching the true meaning of art rather than using the information for a sign of status. It is no longer a matter just of knowing of art and culture it is a matter of knowing about it. T he available levels of information have increased, and have allowed more people to experience a true sense of religiosity toward art, music, and other culture than was ever previously possible. Rather than ruining the integrity and credibility of culture by offering it to the masses, it remains a symbol of status and power for those who wish to use it as such, and has become a source for passion and knowledge for others. It has also allowed new ideas and insight to these fields from non-traditional sources. Finally, instead of taking away from the meaning of original works of art, reproduction has added to it. Berger, John. Ways of Knowing. New York Penguin Inc. 1998