This series is very interesting; but let the viewer beware: as usual with such deconstructive media it contains many assertions that are not presented in-depth

This series is very interesting; but let the viewer beware: as usual with such deconstructive media it contains many assertions that are not presented in-depth and may or may not be true at a deeper level. They sound profound but further reflection fails to provide what deep learning they project. Take, for example, the very beginning of Episode 1, where Berger states "All the paintings of the tradition used to convention of perspective which is unique to European art." Then he moves on. Think about this important assertion for a moment, it is very interesting. Why is it true? Why didn't anybody else invent it, e.g. Arabs, with their advanced knowledge of optics? perhaps Islam's ban on painting human form hindered them. How about the Chinese? Here's one answer: "...because, as Erwin Panofsky1 would point out, perspective is not only a direct transcription of the visual reality but a form of representation that originates within broader cultural needs." , i.e. for some reason their cultural needs were different. You see the enlightened view itself has Orientalist foundations. A better discussion can be found here [3] If you want to read a great fictional work that covers these topics I suggest Orhan Pamuk's My Name is Red, e.g. "Such painting, says one modernist to the other, means that "if you depicted one of the trees in this forest, a man who looked upon that painting could come here and, if he so desired, correctly select that tree from among the others". A tree with Ottoman roots relates the conversation and objects: "I don't want to be a tree, I want to be its meaning."" [3] I was fascinated by the extensive and excellent coverage on Persian/Turkic miniature art and its comparison to Western painting tradition in this book, so at a book signing when Pamuk was touring US after its publication I asked him about resources that he used (Note that Pamuk wanted to be a painter originally): he said there were scant resources and he made most of it up! [1] http://www.essentialvermeer.com/technique/perspective/history.html http://www.essentialvermeer.com/technique/perspective/histor... [2] https://confuciusmag.com/chinese-paintings-western-paintings https://confuciusmag.com/chinese-paintings-western-paintings [3] https://www.theguardian.com/education/2001/sep/15/highereducation.fiction https://www.theguardian.com/education/2001/sep/15/highereduc...