Communication devices

1. Read this groundbreaking essay about how we see and how the meaning of art has changed since the advent of mechanical reproduction. You may also watch the excerpt from the BBC television program on this subject (Episode 1, corresponding to Ch. 1 of the book) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pDE4VX_9Kk 2. When Berger originally wrote this essay book, he explained how the modern means of reproduction has destroyed art? What was modern, when he wrote this essay? 3. What current communication devices/tools of reproduction have accelerated this process? 4. How did the invention of the camera alter the way we see paintings and other artwork created before the invention of photography? 5. How does isolating a detail from a painting destroy the original meaning of the artwork? 6. Explain what Berger means when he says that the “art of the past no longer exists as it once did. Its authority is lost.” What is your general interpretation of what Berger’s message is?