John Bergers

John Berger definition of mystification through Hal’s painting In John Berger’s reading, he states that “Mystification is the process of explaining away what might otherwise be evident” (pg 103). To my understanding, Berger is saying that mystification is a way of what we think may be clear to our understanding of something. It seem as though Berger express mystification in ways that one may not grasp something clearly even though it may seem to be evident. By expressing this, Berger used the passage Hals’s unwavering commitment to his personal vision, which enriches our consciousness of our fellow men and heightens our awe for the ever-increasing power of the mighty impulses that enabled him to give us a close view of life’s vital forces. as an example of mystification. This passage shows that Hals may use his painting to influence us by what we are aware of and how we perceive certain things. This allow us to believe what the painting may mean even though it is not exactly what it seem to be, which then explains why the lack of clarification on a painting causes confusions. This is what you call mystification.
Followed by Berger definition of mystification, Berger mentioned “Today we see the art of the past as nobody saw it before. We actually perceive it in a different way.” Pg 103 Art from the past may never change, but the way how we see it now may be different if we saw it ten years ago. When distinguishing between the past and present, we are talking about history and the modern time today. The two are viewed differently because we are influenced by what exit then and what exit now.
In addition to this, Berger said “Perspective makes the single eye the center of the visible world” (pg 103). In other words, the way how one view on things is revolve around what they know and believe. Berger also used different concepts to describe and “critique” Hals’s painting. On page 101, Berger said “They work upon us because we accept the way Hals saw his