Ways of Seeing
Recommended by Robert Jones, David McCammon, John Harrison (Eton College), and 4 others. See all reviewsRanked #1 in Art, Ranked #2 in Art History — see more rankings.
John Berger's Ways of Seeing is one of the most stimulating and the most 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.
"Berger has the ability to cut right through the mystification of the professional art critics . . .... more
Reviews and Recommendations
We've comprehensively compiled reviews of Ways of Seeing from the world's leading experts.
Robert Jones He’s a Marxist and says that the role of publicity or branding is to make people marginally dissatisfied with their current way of life. (Source)
David McCammon Ways of Seeing goes beyond photography and will continue to develop your language around images. (Source)
John Harrison (Eton College) You have to understand the Marxist interpretation of art; it is absolutely fundamental to the way that art history departments now study the material. Then you have to critique it, because we’ve moved on from the 1970s and the collapse of Marxism in most of the world shows—amongst other things—that the model was flawed. But it’s still a very good book to read, for a teenager especially. (Source)
Dave Elitch [Dave Elitch recommended this book on the podcast "The Tim Ferriss Show".] (Source)
Rankings by Category
Ways of Seeing is ranked in the following categories:
- #44 in Advertising
- #2 in Aesthetics
- #48 in Branding
- #34 in Creative
- #95 in Creativity
- #42 in Design
- #89 in Essays
- #40 in Graphic Design
- #34 in Media
- #8 in Painting
- #14 in Photography
Similar Books
If you like Ways of Seeing, check out these similar top-rated books:
