--- product_id: 48940951 title: "Ways of Seeing: John Berger (Penguin Modern Classics)" price: "₱1792" currency: PHP in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.ph/products/48940951-ways-of-seeing-john-berger-penguin-modern-classics store_origin: PH region: Philippines --- # Ways of Seeing: John Berger (Penguin Modern Classics) **Price:** ₱1792 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Ways of Seeing: John Berger (Penguin Modern Classics) - **How much does it cost?** ₱1792 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ph](https://www.desertcart.ph/products/48940951-ways-of-seeing-john-berger-penguin-modern-classics) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Based on the BBC television series, John Berger's Ways of Seeing is a unique look at the way we view art, published as part of the Penguin on Design series in Penguin Modern Classics. 'Seeing comes before words. The child looks and recognizes before it can speak.' 'But there is also another sense in which seeing comes before words. It is seeing which establishes our place in the surrounding world; we explain that world with words, but word can never undo the fact that we are surrounded by it. The relation between what we see and what we know is never settled.' John Berger's Ways of Seeing is one of the most stimulating and influential books on art in any language. First published in 1972, it was based on the BBC television series about which the Sunday Times critic commented: 'This is an eye-opener in more ways than one: by concentrating on how we look at paintings . . . he will almost certainly change the way you look at pictures.' By now he has. John Berger (b. 1926) is an art critic, painter and novelist.born in Hackney, London. His novel G. (1972) won both the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Booker Prize. If you enjoyed Ways of Seeing , you might like Susan Sontag's On Photography , also available in Penguin Modern Classics. 'Berger has the ability to cut right through the mystification of professional art critics ... he is a liberator of images: and once we have allowed the paintings to work on us directly, we are in a much better position to make a meaningful evaluation' Peter Fuller, Arts Review 'The influence of the series and the book ... was enormous ... It opened up for general attention areas of cultural study that are now commonplace' Geoff Dyer in Ways of Telling 'One of the most influential intellectuals of our time' Observer Review: Never see the world the same way ever again - I first happened across this book when I was at University as an undergraduate when I quoted someone else quoting it in an essay, never having read it myself (shame on me!) I'm now back at University as a postgraduate researcher and thought it's high time I read this for myself. My goodness, I'm so glad I did. This is a wonderful, wonderful book. First published in 1972, it reads as slightly dated in some places. I wasn't entirely sure I totally agreed with the way women see themselves and the way men see women from the point of view of contemporary society. However, the interpretation offered within this text was probably true in 1972, and would certainly be true in the 18th century (the period I'm studying). I'm not an art historian (I study literature) but the two are intrinsically interlinked and quite often the scenes "painted" in an eighteenth-century text (that's how they termed it then) correspond to the artistry of the time. With this in view, this book has provided me with an entirely new way of viewing literary scenes. In fact, it's provided me with a whole new way of viewing the world. The essays within the text seek to raise questions in the reader (and acknowledge that they are doing this) and they do. I loved the essay on publicity. It's so true - advertising seeks to sell us what we don't need and society renders us valueless if we are perceived as not having "stuff" or money to spend on it. Conversely, however, we are made poorer by spending our money on this "stuff" we just don't need. The argument about holiday adverts was enlightening: "The entire world becomes a setting for the fulfilment of publicity’s promise of the good life. The world smiles at us. It offers itself to us. And because everywhere is imagined as offering itself to us, everywhere is more or less the same." (p. 150). Holidays in Brid it is from now on - it's a lot cheaper and it's pretty much the same as anywhere else! This book is a real eye-opener - I would definitely recommend it. I don't think I'll ever see the world in the same way again. Review: The brilliant, seminal exposure of the male gaze and class dominance in art - 52 years later (in 2024), this revolutionary critique of art and art historians reads as fresh as the day it was published. The style is direct, succinct and well-structured, with many pertinent images. The content - showing how most Western art reinforces male dominance of females and ruling class control - is intelligently forceful. The examples chosen illustrate the argument with great clarity. But above all, it is the controlled passion that impresses - a passion to expose longstanding injustices. This admirably short work is simply one of the most brilliant art critiques of all time, revealing the hidden power structures behind most Western art. Berger was a multi-talented thinker and creator, a radical English art critic, novelist, painter and poet, who died in 2017 aged 90. I wonder what he would have written about the conceptual, relational and participatory art which flourished particularly between 1990 and 2020. There was (and remains) a huge amount of posturing rubbish, which has become increasingly commercial. He might have been indulgent, since the original aim of this 'democratising' art is to put it in the hands of everyman and everywoman. But his sharp mind surely cannot have put up with the neglect of beauty and skill which now dominates the art schools and much new work. He would also be appalled at how protean capitalist art galleries and curators have become the conductors of artistic taste and presentation. ## Features - Warning:Not suitable for children over 36 months - New - Mint Condition - Dispatch same day for order received before 12 noon - Guaranteed packaging - No quibbles returns ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 2,496 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) 1 in Photography Criticism & Essays 3 in Art Criticism 42 in Horror Graphic Novels (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 3,414 Reviews | ## Images ![Ways of Seeing: John Berger (Penguin Modern Classics) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/717ZUqgY2cL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Never see the world the same way ever again *by V***D on 8 January 2016* I first happened across this book when I was at University as an undergraduate when I quoted someone else quoting it in an essay, never having read it myself (shame on me!) I'm now back at University as a postgraduate researcher and thought it's high time I read this for myself. My goodness, I'm so glad I did. This is a wonderful, wonderful book. First published in 1972, it reads as slightly dated in some places. I wasn't entirely sure I totally agreed with the way women see themselves and the way men see women from the point of view of contemporary society. However, the interpretation offered within this text was probably true in 1972, and would certainly be true in the 18th century (the period I'm studying). I'm not an art historian (I study literature) but the two are intrinsically interlinked and quite often the scenes "painted" in an eighteenth-century text (that's how they termed it then) correspond to the artistry of the time. With this in view, this book has provided me with an entirely new way of viewing literary scenes. In fact, it's provided me with a whole new way of viewing the world. The essays within the text seek to raise questions in the reader (and acknowledge that they are doing this) and they do. I loved the essay on publicity. It's so true - advertising seeks to sell us what we don't need and society renders us valueless if we are perceived as not having "stuff" or money to spend on it. Conversely, however, we are made poorer by spending our money on this "stuff" we just don't need. The argument about holiday adverts was enlightening: "The entire world becomes a setting for the fulfilment of publicity’s promise of the good life. The world smiles at us. It offers itself to us. And because everywhere is imagined as offering itself to us, everywhere is more or less the same." (p. 150). Holidays in Brid it is from now on - it's a lot cheaper and it's pretty much the same as anywhere else! This book is a real eye-opener - I would definitely recommend it. I don't think I'll ever see the world in the same way again. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ The brilliant, seminal exposure of the male gaze and class dominance in art *by V***S on 4 July 2024* 52 years later (in 2024), this revolutionary critique of art and art historians reads as fresh as the day it was published. The style is direct, succinct and well-structured, with many pertinent images. The content - showing how most Western art reinforces male dominance of females and ruling class control - is intelligently forceful. The examples chosen illustrate the argument with great clarity. But above all, it is the controlled passion that impresses - a passion to expose longstanding injustices. This admirably short work is simply one of the most brilliant art critiques of all time, revealing the hidden power structures behind most Western art. Berger was a multi-talented thinker and creator, a radical English art critic, novelist, painter and poet, who died in 2017 aged 90. I wonder what he would have written about the conceptual, relational and participatory art which flourished particularly between 1990 and 2020. There was (and remains) a huge amount of posturing rubbish, which has become increasingly commercial. He might have been indulgent, since the original aim of this 'democratising' art is to put it in the hands of everyman and everywoman. But his sharp mind surely cannot have put up with the neglect of beauty and skill which now dominates the art schools and much new work. He would also be appalled at how protean capitalist art galleries and curators have become the conductors of artistic taste and presentation. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Marxist reading of Art History *by G***T on 19 May 2015* As other reviewers have already written, this book is a pure product of its time. However, this doesn't mean that it is completely out of date and irrelevant to the modern reader. Berger's Marxist reading of art history is still highly entertaining and worth reading for its challenge of pre-conceived ideas in art, and that is true whether you agree with him or not. Even though (or, maybe, because) it stands as an idiosyncratic work, it should be essential reading for any art history/visual culture student. The four stars relate to the contents of the book; regarding this particular Penguin paperback edition, the black and white illustrations are a bit weak and often too small. ## Frequently Bought Together - Ways of Seeing - On Photography --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.ph/products/48940951-ways-of-seeing-john-berger-penguin-modern-classics](https://www.desertcart.ph/products/48940951-ways-of-seeing-john-berger-penguin-modern-classics) --- *Product available on Desertcart Philippines* *Store origin: PH* *Last updated: 2026-11-02*