1. Ways of Seeing: Consequences of photographing original art.

 

Marlboro Ad. Available http://www.somethingawful.com/. February 12, 2011.

Famous art pieces take on new meaning as they become the subject of advertisements, clothing or even movie scenes. With the invention of the camera, the ability to reproduce art naturally followed. Art that was once only visible in museums became available for view in the comfort of your own home. John Berger, author of “Ways of Seeing,” argues that the uniqueness of the original piece of art is lost.1

We live in a society of high production and mass consumption. The cheap print of the Mona Lisa you purchase today will become disposable in a few years. A masterpiece by Michelangelo becomes the subject of a second-rate Marlboro advertisement; turning a classic into a quick buck for the cigarette industry. This is a poignant consequence of photographing original art.

Photographs that mimic original art have become a money generated industry. Well known art has standing. Companies try to use this reputation in their advertisements to gleam off of that status; it is unfortunate to the artist who cannot defend their images.

Berger describes the consequences of using original art casually, “For the first time ever, images of art have become ephemeral, ubiquitous, insubstantial, available, valueless, free…If the new language of images were used differently, it would, through its use, confer a new kind of power.”1


 1. Berger, John, Ways of Seeing (London: British Broadcasting Corporation, 1973), 19-32.