Publisher’s write-up:
‘As a novelist, essayist, and cultural
historian, John Berger is a writer of dazzling eloquence and arresting insight
whose work amounts to a subtle, powerful critique of the canons of our
civilization. In About Looking he explores our role as observers to reveal new
layers of meaning in what we see. How do the animals we look at in zoos remind
us of a relationship between man and beast all but lost in the twentieth
century? What is it about looking at war photographs that doubles their already
potent violence? How do the nudes of Rodin betray the threats to his authority
and potency posed by clay and flesh? And how does solitude inform the art of
Giacometti? In asking these and other questions, Berger alters the vision of
anyone who reads his work.’
About Looking is a collection of essays by the
Booker Prize winning novelist and art critic, John Berger. Most of these essays
were published in the 60s and 70s which include the author’s take on interpretations
of various art forms including photography, and the starting essay which was on
the evolving relationship human beings have had and are still having with animals.
The author not only tries to make this a long
technical summary of evaluating artists like Francis Bacon or Jean-François
Millet but also brings in his political
views into these essays such as the impacts of capitalism and how we tend to
depoliticse events like war. This could please readers who are aligned with his
politics and at the same time, alienate those who do not. I felt the first two
essays were the most thought provoking and powerful, especially the way he
explored how animals’ overtime have been marginalised and have now been reduced
to mere relics such as in children’s toys, metaphors or in zoos. As
aforementioned, the impact (or lack thereof) of the devastating photos of the
Vietnam war was explored very well by the author in one of the essays.
However, the author frontloaded the best two
essays and the rest were more difficult to understand, getting a tad too
technical on artistic movements and various different styles. Initially, there
were illustrations for the works of art that the author discussed but in the
subsequent essays, I felt the author assumed the reader knew the works of art that
he was describing – and beyond two or three essays, I did not have the patience
to google every artist and work of art mentioned in the book.
The first few essays satisfy a general
audience, and for a work of non-fiction, it is important to know who the
intended audience is and unfortunately, the latter half is not for the general
audience. I understand that the writer is British who lived a large part of his
life in France, and thus, works of art from these two places are extensively
discussed but considering his extensive knowledge on the subject, I would have
liked to read an essay about artistic movements / artists in the other parts of
the world.
To conclude, some of the essays, especially in
the first half of the book were thought provoking and interesting. The latter
half could be very interesting if you have deep knowledge in the subject that
the author is discussing, but if not, you would be as lost as I was.
If the book had stopped with the two brilliant essays
the author had started with, this book could have had a much higher rating, but
considering the incomprehensible latter half, I would award the book a rating
of four on ten.
Rating –
4/10
Andy
No comments:
Post a Comment