The Look as an Act of Choice in Berger
John Berger (1999) wrote that, "to look is an act of choice" (p.106). That Berger's thought certainly sounds optimistic, but after further examination one can realize that in many situations there is not much choice in looking at something or not. More often one encounters not choices, but alternatives to look at. Basically, there are two things one can do if he or she does not want to look. The first thing one can do is to close his or hers eyes.If one is watching a television show, and suddenly the particularly disgusting scene is shown, one would very probably close his or her eyes for a moment. This reaction of closing eyes shows that one's alternative was not to see that disgusting scene. The second thing one can do if he or she does not want to look at something is to select another object to look at. For instance, if one is watching a movie, and in the middle of it some annoying detergent commercial is broadcasted, one would probably change the channel or even turn the television set off. These alternatives of changing the channel or turning the television off depend on how annoying one found the detergent commercial. Both of these examples show that there are alternatives among which one can select when he or she does
Unfortunately, those alternatives are not exactly choices. In fact, he was forced to paint the Regents. One's choice was to go to museum and to see the original Leonardo's Virgin of the Rocks. People go both to National Gallery, and to Louvre to see Leonardo's Virgin of the Rocks. The entire world is much safer because to look is not an act of choice concerning those things that really matter. One cannot look at the state secrets because he or she chooses to, and one cannot look into stranger's house because he or she chooses to. This time the failure to see what one has chosen, and what was one's choice derives from the following reasons. But since to look is certainly not an act of choice, one must not fear such a scenario. Undoubtedly, there are numerous factors that can divert one from seeing the chosen object, and in many cases to look is not an act of choice. To look was not the act of choice for Hals. Therefore, Hals had two alternatives, to look at the Regents or to die. 106) is a statement that applies only to a narrow specter of meanings. Public looking at Leonardo's Virgin of the Rocks, in both museums is in fact affected by what they do not know, and that is that even experts cannot unquestionably prove which painting is the original Leonardo's work. If people would know that experts are not certain which of the two paintings is the original, they would probably look at the painting with another attitude.
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