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
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.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A photograph is a direct representation of its subject, unlike other forms of visual art which interpret or imitate.
In this quote, John Berger emphasizes the unique nature of photography as a medium that captures reality directly, providing an authentic trace of its subject. Unlike paintings or drawings that involve the artist's interpretation or abstraction, a photograph is grounded in the actual existence of the subject, capturing a moment in time that is intrinsically linked to what it depicts.
Themes
PhotographyArtRepresentationRealitySubjectVisual
In practice
Example use cases
During a photography workshop, I used this quote to illustrate the authenticity of capturing real moments.
More from John Berger
All quotes →We never look at just one thing; we are always looking at the relation between things and ourselves.
John BergerRead
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.
John BergerRead
Propaganda requires a permanent network of communication so that it can systematically stifle reflection with emotive or utopian slogans. Its pace is usually fast.
John BergerRead
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.
John BergerRead
Nothing in the nature around us is evil. This needs to be repeated since one of the human ways of talking oneself into inhuman acts is to cite the supposed cruelty of nature.
John BergerRead
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They are fairies; he that speaks to them shall die. I'll wink and couch; no man their works must eye.
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