The strange power of art is sometimes it can show that what people have in common is more urgent than what differentiates them. It seems to me it's something that theatre can do, but it's rare; it's very rare.
John BergerRead
To be naked is to be oneself. To be nude is to be seen naked by others and yet not recognized for oneself. A naked body has to be seen as an object in order to become a nude. (The sight of it as an object stimulates the use of it as an object.) Nakedness reveals itself. Nudity is placed on display. To be naked is to be without disguises.
Interpretation
Nakedness expresses authenticity, while nudity objectifies the body.
John Berger's quote distinguishes between being naked and being nude. To be naked signifies a state of being genuine and vulnerable, where one reveals their true self without any barriers or pretenses. In contrast, to be nude involves being exposed physically in a manner that is more about how others perceive the body than the individual’s authenticity, often reducing the person to an object rather than recognizing their humanity.
In practice
In an art class discussing the human form, this quote emphasizes the importance of authenticity in representation.
The strange power of art is sometimes it can show that what people have in common is more urgent than what differentiates them. It seems to me it's something that theatre can do, but it's rare; it's very rare.
Unlike any other visual image, a photograph is not a rendering, an imitation or an interpretation of its subject, but actually a trace of it. No painting or drawing, however naturalist, belongs to its subject in the way that a photograph does.
We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves.
The camera relieves us of the burden of memory. It surveys us like God, and it surveys for us. Yet no other god has been so cynical, for the camera records in order to forget.
Propaganda requires a permanent network of communication so that it can systematically stifle reflection with emotive or utopian slogans. Its pace is usually fast.
Being a unique superpower undermines the military intelligence of strategy. To think strategically, one has to imagine oneself in the enemy's place. If one cannot do this, it is impossible to foresee, to take by surprise, to outflank. Misinterpreting an enemy can lead to defeat. This is how empires fall.
Drawing is the probity of art. To draw does not mean simply to reproduce contours; drawing does not consist merely of line: drawing is also expression, the inner form, the plane, the modeling. See what remains after that.
The job of the artist is always to deepen the mystery.
I consider skateboarding an art form, a lifestyle and a sport. 'Action sport' would be the least offensive categorization.
I hate straight singing. I have to change a tune to my own way of doing it. That's all I know.
Architecture does not change anything. It's always on the side of the wealthy. The important thing is to believe that it can make life better.
At first blush I am tempted to conclude that a satisfactory hobby must be in large degree useless, inefficient, laborious, or irrelevant.
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