There may have been “better” books by John Berger than Ways of Seeing, and from the start one may have argued against aspects of his discourse, but it’s hard to think of a book on art with a greater impact. It was like a pebble cast into a lake, causing ripples that have continued to spread and spread. Certainly it made me see things in new ways. Credit should also go to the producer of the BBC series, Mike Dibb, then very inexperienced. The films had obscure, late-night slots in the schedules, and there were no instant reviews, yet what a huge influence they had on questioning and attentive viewers and readers.
