The Art of the Past

Article Review # 91652

Art > History
Art > Painting
History

The Art of the Past

An analysis of John Berger's "Ways of Seeing" and Orson Welles' "F For Fake", discussing the history of art.

1,712 words () | 2 sources | MLA | 2007 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the essay by John Berger, "Ways of Seeing" and the video by Orson Welles, "F for Fake". The paper discusses the history of art and how it has changed over the years. It discusses forgeries and how paintings can be viewed by people using their senses, as opposed to just what they physically see on the canvas. The paper concludes that we need art from the past in order to guide us how to act in the present.

From the Paper:

"Berger demonstrates the change of perception to a particular image to his reader through the painting by Van Gogh. In this painting we have a peaceful outlook which is misrepresented by words into a most violent scenario when we read that this was the last work that Van Gogh painted before he ended his life. In some way words and paintings can never exist in complete harmony and nevertheless we can not have one without the other. Berger is also worried of that fact that when we see images, we often be likely to mystify them with the usage of money-oriented or acquisitive objects."

Sample of Sources Used:

Berger, John. "Ways of Seeing". Bartholomae, David and Petrosky, Anthony. Ways of Reading.
Orson, Welles Welles "F for Fake" Bartholomae, David and Petrosky, Anthony. Ways of Reading.