Learn to See New Things
“Botticelli’s Venus and Mars used to be a unique image which it was only possible to see in the room where it was actually hanging. Now, it’s image or detail of it, can be seen in a million different places at the same time. As you look at it now on your screen, your wallpaper is round it. Your window is opposite it. Your carpet is below it. At the same moment, it is on many other screens, surrounded by different objects, different colors, different sounds. You are seeing it in the context of your own life. It is surrounded not by gilt frames, but by the familiarity of the room you are in, and the people around you.”
That’s what John Berger said in the BBC series ‘Ways of Seeing’ from 1972. And even now, 50 years later, it is still an interesting show to watch. It teaches you a new way of looking which you won’t soon forget :)
(But be sceptical of it. ;-))
And if you enjoyed reading this, I think you might like these things as well:
Practice Resurrection – My Favorite Poem by Wendell Berry
Expect the end of the world. Laugh. Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful though you have...
I Want To Thrive, Not Just Survive
Every day I come to new discoveries about life and living. They are new and...
The Second Coming of the Trees – A Poem by Wendell Berry
The country where he lives is haunted by a ghost of an old forest. In...
The Man Who Turned Pain into Ecstatic Beauty
Dr. Who is a time traveler and in this episode he takes the painter Vincent...
I Am Not Who I Am (Rembrandt And I)
God says “I am who I am.” But with human beings it should be: “We...
You Are Alive
“And what is it like: to be alive in this maybe one place of all...
What it Means to Be Yourself – Inspired by Virginia Woolf
To be yourself is not as straightforward as it sounds. In fact, yourself has everything...
What I Learned From My 90-year-old Friend
When we got to know each other we were surprised at how similar we were,...
What We Lost With the Invention of the Photograph
I do think we lost something profound with the invention of the photograph: The trust...
Fleeting Beauty
The trees outside our living room window display more colour every day – every time...
Practical Remedies Against Melancholy – By Sydney Smith
Sydney Smith was born in the 18th century and writes about his solutions to melancholy...
Lovely Song About The Joy of Beauty in Spring and Summer
I hope you enjoy this lovely song by Karen Peris, it reminds me of those...
Turning Sadness into Joy – Vincent van Gogh’s Life
He was very poor, got heartbroken several times, got betrayed by friends, had a complicated...
Don’t Turn Down This Invitation!
"There is only one invitation it would kill me to refuse, yet I’m tempted to...
I Wish I Was Fearless
This is a little poem on being fearless that I wrote to accompany this painting....
Learn to See New Things
even now, 50 years later, it is still an interesting show to watch. It teaches...
Thoughts on Hope at the Post Office – By John Berger
“The post office at Auxonne is small and the postmistress has blue eyes. I have...
How to Always Look Lovely According to Roald Dahl
if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and...
Walking on the Edge of the Abyss
but I don’t feel scared, really. Rather amazed, every day, that I am still standing...
How to Alter the Past
This letter is one of the most interesting and thought-provoking things I’ve read so far....
Little Home Joys
At times I like to walk through the house with my camera in hand and...
Oh, I Smell Spring!
“It was a bland day in early April and spring was looking at you round...
What If Life Was Meant to Be Seen?
What if Life was meant to be seen? Our only job To notice the bird...
Finding Beauty in Grieving
Grieving over someone who died is painful. But in this experience there are also places...
