The Value of an Artwork
According to John Berger, the value of a painting is significantly reduced when it is moved from its place of origin; the Mona Lisa is no longer valued the same when a copy of this masterpiece is hung on your bedroom wall. Over the years, paintings have been the symbol of wealth, prosperity, and elegance. They adorn the room and make it seem more worthwhile to be in. Needless to say, if one would love to place a famous painting in a room, the luxury definitely comes at a cost. But, what is the value of a painting? Where does this value come from? Is it because of the painter, or is it the meaning that it conveys hanging still on a wall inside a wooden frame? Berger insists that viewing a painting in its original form gives the viewer a much more investigative perspective since the painting is the real deal and there is a certain power that the painting bestows upon its viewers. The original form is the power. To realize that one is looking at a painting that was touched and gazed upon by the painter himself, the value and the awe grows even larger.
I think the value of a painting arises from the attention one gives it. The more one pays attention, the more one enjoys or dislikes the contours of the painting. The colors, the facial description, the scenery, or movements depicted on a painting captures the eye of the viewer. Mona Lisa is famous for her life-like characteristics seen on a piece of parchment. The shades of various colors, the soft edges of her cheeks, the lighting of the room she is in, all place this masterpiece by Da Vinci in a far more superior position than the other paintings. Because it has become widely appreciated, the value of this painting is beyond belief. Since a lot of consideration and attention was placed into this painting, the painter is lauded with cheers and applause and his painting has a reputation that travels much farther from his own.
Berger believes that if a painting is moved from its place of origin, it is not as meaningful. I believe otherwise. The true aura of a painting always lies with the original form, but it remains closed in a and darkened room from the rest world. If the reproductions of a painting never emerged, it would never have received much of an attention as it is receiving now. Reading about Mona Lisa is not the same as viewing it, and viewing it at the Louvre is not the best option for many of the art lovers. In the mid-1800s, the Louvre was opened from the public masses, and hence many reproductions and copies were made. I believe the value and the attention of a masterpiece increases if it’s given a chance to be reproduced and sent out into the world. I can appreciate the painting of Mona Lisa while sitting in my bedroom, and the aura of the painting still floats in the air. Even if the painting was in the Louvre, or the copy of it was on a bedroom wall, the art is what matters and is hence appreciated. The meaning of the painting is not diminished when a replica is hung on a wall. Reproductions of the painting increase the public’s enthusiasm to own replicas of famous art works and to learn more about various types of arts.
John Berger also claims that a price tag also diminishes the art’s value and meaning. He thinks that the art work becomes more like a commodity and less of a valuable piece of history. But my question is that wasn’t the art created to be a commodity in the first place? Artists enjoy showing off their talents and awakening the people with their views and thoughts through artworks and in the end, the artworks are valued as commodities with nothing but a powerful yet discrete message from the painter.
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