Glossary
Key terms from the book. These are my takes on what Berger means.
- Mystification
- When art experts use fancy language to hide what's obvious. By making something confusing, they can make it feel like you need their help to understand it. [1]
- Reproduction
- Copying a painting through photography or printing. It kills the original's uniqueness but also frees the image from being stuck in one rich person's house. [1]
- Spectator-owner
- The rich person who bought the painting. Everything in the painting is arranged to remind them of what they own. [3], [4]
- Spectator-buyer
- You and me, the consumer. Publicity is made for us to make us feel like we're missing something we could buy. [4]
- Surveyor and surveyed
- How women are split in two. Part of her watches herself, part of her is watched. The surveyor is male, the surveyed is female. [2]
- Publicity
- Berger's word for advertising. It sells the fantasy of being envied if you buy the product. [4]