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John Berger
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Ways of Seeing (Penguin Modern Classics) Kindle Edition

by John Berger (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 2,820
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How do we see the world around us? The Penguin on Design series includes the works of creative thinkers whose writings on art, design and the media have changed our vision forever.

"Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak."

"But there is also another sense in which seeing comes before words. It is seeing which establishes our place in the surrounding world; we explain that world with words, but word can never undo the fact that we are surrounded by it. The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled."

John Berger's Ways of Seeing is one of the most stimulating and influential books on art in any language. First published in 1972, it was based on the BBC television series about which the (London) Sunday Times critic commented: "This is an eye-opener in more ways than one: by concentrating on how we look at paintings . . . he will almost certainly change the way you look at pictures." By now he has.

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  1. Print length
    209 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Penguin
  5. Publication date
    25 September 2008
  6. File size
    7957 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Product description

Review

"It's a book about art history and the media, but it's also a magic trick." -- The New Republic

"Berger fulfils the roles of a philosopher, listener, and somewhat of a magician as he makes tantalising worlds appear, and illusions vanish." -- Pratibha Rai, Oxford Culture Review

"The influence of the series and the book . . . was enormous . . . It opened up for general attention to areas of cultural study that are now commonplace." --Geoff Dyer

"...perhaps the most bold, clear, and widely renowned explanation of art's entanglement with capitalism." -- The Paris Review

"Berger has the ability to cut right through the mystification of the professional art critics . . . He is a liberator of images: and once we have allowed the paintings to work on us directly, we are in a much better position to make a meaningful evaluation." --Peter Fuller, Arts Review

"Over the past sixty years, the great John Berger -- art critic, essayist, screenwriter, novelist, poet, and artist -- has made immeasurable contributions to our understanding of culture and politics, never more potently than in Ways of Seeing." -The Village Voice

On John Berger:

"In contemporary English letters he seems to me peerless." -- Susan Sontag

"We learned from him to see that basic assumptions about everything--work, play, art, commerce--are hidden in the surrounding culture of images." -- Jane Gaines

About the Author

John Peter Berger (born November 5th, 1926) is an art critic, painter and novelist.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002ZJSV78
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin; 1st edition (25 September 2008)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 7957 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 209 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 2,820

About the author

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John Berger

John Berger

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John Berger was born in London in 1926. He is well known for his novels and stories as well as for his works of nonfiction, including several volumes of art criticism. His first novel, A Painter of Our Time, was published in 1958, and since then his books have included the novel G., which won the Booker Prize in 1972. In 1962 he left Britain permanently, and he lives in a small village in the French Alps.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
2,820 global ratings

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Top reviews from Australia

C.
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect
Reviewed in Australia on 15 April 2020
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Great book, fast shipping. Thank you
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Jo McLean
2.0 out of 5 stars Ways of seeing
Reviewed in Australia on 16 July 2014
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To me I found this book outdated with the amount if other information that is in the world today. Sorry
One person found this helpful
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R. J. Prescott
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in Australia on 19 May 2021
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Its nice to find a book that really makes you think. Its only a short read, but you'll find yourself taking your time as it challenges the way you look at paintings. Love it.
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Julia
5.0 out of 5 stars wow
Reviewed in the United States on 2 February 2023
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I was recommended this book by my thesis supervisor. I came into it thinking it was going to be insightful and interesting. What I encountered was a profound exploration of the time we live in, not always accurate, but deeply truthful. Over fifty years after its publication, this book remains supremely relevant, every page feels necessary. I have been talking about this book ever since I picked it up will not shut up about it for the foreseeable future. Highly recommend
10 people found this helpful
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Vitor Silveira de Freitas
5.0 out of 5 stars Edição muito bonita! Material muito bom!
Reviewed in Brazil on 10 June 2022
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Além do texto de John Berger ser incrível, essa edição vale cada centavo do preço que custa. O livro pode demorar um pouco para chegar mesmo usando a entrega do prime, porque aparentemente vem de fora do Brasil, mas veio lacrado em perfeito estado. Apesar de ser edição americana, o material das páginas é de alta qualidade.
2 people found this helpful
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Det@
5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal book!
Reviewed in India on 6 June 2022
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Love this book..
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Antonio D'Alfonso
5.0 out of 5 stars A major book
Reviewed in Canada on 20 October 2020
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My introduction decades ago to John Berger, whose film work with Alain Tanner had touched me in the 1960s.
One person found this helpful
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Cliente de Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Excelente teoría de la imagen
Reviewed in Mexico on 16 September 2020
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El libro es pequeño pero los ensayos son muy interesantes y acertados. Las ilustraciones son muy pequeñas y en escala de grises.
2 people found this helpful
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