Mystification is defined by Berger as being
the process of explaining away what might otherwise be evident
. Mystification of the past is often caused by a fear of the present and the desires of a privileged minority to create a history that can justify the ruling classes.
Is there still mystification in modern art?
However, neither of the two manifestations is in force in modern society. According to Berger,
mystification is a false religiosity
. The works of art from the past are represented as holy relics, the important aspect of which is that they are so old that they have endured all that time.
How does Berger define mystification?
For Berger, “mystification is
the process of explaining away what might otherwise be evident
.” According to Berger, art history more often obscures the meaning of an artwork than reveals its real politics.
What do you think Berger means when he addresses knowledge and seeing?
Also, in the chapter, Berger says, “The way we see things is affected by what we know or what we believe.” What he means by this is that if we are looking at a painting or an image of something that you are very knowledgeable about,
then the way you see that certain image while be different than the way the person
…
What did Berger believe?
As an artist himself, Berger believed that
great art should reflect society and that socialism inspired society’s “profoundest expectations” in the 20th century
. He published his first novel, A Painter of Our Time, in 1958, which stemmed from his experience living among émigré artists in London.
What is the meaning of mystification?
1a :
an act or instance of mystifying
. b : an obscuring especially of capitalist or social dynamics (as by making them equivalent to natural laws) that is seen in Marxist thought as an impediment to critical consciousness the mystification of the sources of wealth— Henry Staten.
What are some examples of mystification?
Social Examples of mystification
a.
Poverty
: We observe that some people are poor and some people are well off. We also observe that some people who are born poor become well off, and some do not. Since these people differ in their outcomes/fates, the cause of these outcomes must be born by the individual.
Who coined the term mystification?
1814, “act of mystifying;” 1817, “state of being mystified,” from
French
mystification, noun of action from mystifier (see mystify).
What is John Berger Ways of Seeing summary?
In “Ways of Seeing” Berger claims that
the representations of men and women in visual culture entice different “gazes”
, different ways in which they are looked at, with men having the legitimization of examining women, and women also examine women.
How does seeing establish our place in the world?
It is seeing that establishes our place in the world, but
we use words to explain this world
. … Having established that we see first and then use words to explain the world, i.e. what we know, he then goes on to say what we know or believe affects the way we see things.
What we see and what we know is never settled?
“The relation between
what we see and what we know is never settled
.” John Berger, Ways of Seeing. … Berger describes the reciprocal relationship between
what we see
before our eyes and
what we know
or believe. Our evaluation of the artistic quality and impact of an artwork is fundamentally influenced by context.
What does Berger assert about vision?
What does Berger assert about vision? Berger likes to stay close to the concrete, to the experienced moment, to what is observed, rather than what is postulated. His
emphasis on looking coheres with his fragmentary approach to writing
. It is as if he is saying, ‘Look here’., ‘Look there’., ‘Now look over at that’.
What does Berger say about a male female photographic presence?
Berger writes: According to usage and conventions which are at last being questioned but have by no means been overcome, the social presence of a woman is different in kind from that of a man.
A man’s presence is dependent upon the promise of power which he embodies
.
What does Berger want us to understand about the power of images?
In 1972, Berger wrote that we are
free to see images in collages of our own making
. … If the new language of images were used differently, it would, through its use, confer a new kind of power. Within it we could begin to define our own experiences more precisely in areas where words are inadequate.
What does err is human mean?
formal. :
it is normal for people to make mistakes
.
What does Bewider mean?
:
to confuse
(someone) very much. See the full definition for bewilder in the English Language Learners Dictionary. bewilder. verb. be·wil·der | bi-ˈwil-dər
