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1、Understanding a Photograph John BergerForovera century, photographers and their apologistshavearguedthatphotographydeservesto be considered a fine art. It is hard to know how farthe apologetics have succeeded.Certainlythevast majority of people do not consider photograp
2、hyan art,even whilst they practise, enjoy,use and value it.The argument of apologists(andImyself have been among them) has been a little academic.It now seems clear that photography deserves tobe considered asthough it werenota fine art.It looks as though photography (w
3、hateverkind of activityit maybe)isgoing to outlive painting and sculpture as we have thought of them since the Renaissance.It now seemsfortunate that few museums have had sufficient initiativeto openphotographic departments, for it means that few photographs have been p
4、reserved insacred isola‐ tion, it means that the public have not come to think of any photographsasbeingbeyondthem.(Museums function like homes of the nobilityto which the public atcertain hours are admitted as visitors. The class nature ofthe 'nobility' mayvary,butasso
5、on asa work is placed in a museum it acquires themysteryof a wayof life whichexcludesthe mass.) Letme be clear. Painting and sculpture as we know them are not dying ofany stylisticdisease,of anything diagnosed by the professionallyhorrified ascultural decadence;theyare
6、dying because, in the world asit is,no work of art cansurvive and not become a valuable property. And this implies thedeath of painting and sculpture becauseproperty,as once it was not, is now inevitably opposed to allothervalues.People believe inproperty, but in essenc
7、e they onlybelieve in the illusionofprotectionwhichpropertygives. All works of fine art, whatever theircontent,whateverthe sensibility of an individual spectator, must now be reckoned as nomore thanprops forthe confidence of theworld spirit of conservatism.By theirnatur
8、e, photographs have little or no propertyvalue becausetheyhavenorarityvalue. The very principle of photography
