This is Scott's Rational

The excerpt from “Ways of Seeing� by John Berger, was a difficult read, but an interesting one none the less. I found that the way the author writes is not like most texts on a subject. Where usual texts tell me the facts and how I should see something, the author seemed to make the text more of a informational conversation. As I was reading I was reminded of my friend Grace who never stops talking and tells me whatever is on her mind. Similarly, it was like John sat at his computer and wrote me a long email about what he thought about art, explaining what he meant as he went along but in a franticly rushed sort of way that at times I wasn‘t sure what was going through his head. An example of this was when he was talking about mystification on page 468. He discusses how society’s present assumptions about art obscures the past. About how when one looks at a painting now, they attempt to use history to explain its meaning, but at times when dwelling on the past, we can make it harder to see the true meaning. It was only after re-reading the last couple paragraphs multiple times that I began to see into the thought process of my ecstatic friend John.
One particular part of the reading that I found a little like common sense but at times lost in the drama of the world was that perspectives are subject to ones experiences or beliefs. Many times I have seen something or heard a comment and wondered, “How could they say that? What is so special about this place?� It is only after realizing this idea that I can understand how so many different ideas and beliefs can be expressed by ever person. Now if only we could learn to respect others’ beliefs and not judge that which is different from our own.
What do reproductions do to art? I really hadn’t ever thought about it till after reading this. I guess that in a way by reproducing famous works and making them available to all of society, one who can not afford to see the originals can still experience a glimmer of the beauty and awe of art. But as a down side, by making a painting available for everyone the original can seem to lose its uniqueness and importance. The way I see it, if the Statue of Liberty of the US, the Eiffel Tower of France or the Pyramids of Egypt or Mexico could be found in every town all over the world, would you feel any significance in traveling to see the original, if you could see an exact replica in your backyard? I believe that many would not take the time or get everything they could out of the experience if they did travel to the origins of these marvelous masterpieces.