Publicity through pictures and oil paintings

  1. According to Berger, ”publicity proposes to each of us in a consumer society that we can change ourselves or our lives by buying something more.” What he means by that is that publicity is trying to convince us that we can become someone better by buying what is advertised. Publicity influences in the costumer the idea that you can become a better person, who is going to be envied by the society.
  2. As Berger states in this episode of ”Ways of Seeing”, publicity uses devices of art, such as poses, settings, symbol of prestige etc. While the oil painting uses the physical texture and tangibility of things. In my opinion this gives the meaning to what Berger says about the oil paintings being what the author already had, and publicity being what is aspired to have. Therefore, as the oil paintings are touchable as physical textures, makes them something that is already achieved. While the publicity is something that symbolizes what we aspire to achieve.
  3. As described in ”The dream of later tonight”, the consumer is influenced by what they see in the advertising, people who are enjoying life. It is a dream for every costumer to be part of the pleasure the people in the advertisement are having. They think that by being part of it, they would be bringing the greatest pleasure. But everyone know that this is just a dream, nobody really has a life that easy as it is described int the advertising.

2 thoughts on “Publicity through pictures and oil paintings

  • March 25, 2022 at 1:40 pm
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    Jona, you do a really good job of summarizing key ideas from this episode. Why do you find the “dream of later tonight” advertising genre compelling?

    • March 25, 2022 at 5:30 pm
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      The reason why I find the ”The dream of later tonight” compelling is because it has to do directly with a person’s life and how they dream to have their lives. Basically, the advertisement is advertising ‘a product’ that is related to the person’s everything (their life), rather than a product they might use to do a specific thing better.

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