Ways of Seeing

“To whom does the meaning of the art of the past properly belong?” This is a statement by John Berger in his essay entitled, “Ways of Seeing.” If a person looks at a piece of art from the past then that person gets to decide upon the meaning of that piece. This is what I am going to do with a painting by Vermeer entitled, Woman Pouring Milk. Only I am going to use my eyes to help you better understand the piece of art work. I am going to help you understand the many ways that can hinder a persons perception on a piece of art.
First of all there are many things that I can not express in words that would just have to be examined by your own eyes. I can not describe how you would look at this painting; I can only state how I can see it for myself. So therefore you will best understand the painting, Woman Pouring Milk, if you just go out and look at it for yourself. This is the reason why I am going to inform you on the ways you can see art of the past and the things ...