Art and Politics: Thinking with John Berger

Socialism 2017

August 15, 2017

John Berger—a giant of art criticism, literature, and Marxist cultural analysis who helped multiple generations grapple with, and critically think about, art, history, politics, and the act of looking—died on January 2 at the age of 90. Berger was widely regarded as one of the most influential writers on art of the last 60 years. But he was much more than this, producing plays, screenplays, poems, novels, and political and social essays. All of his work was driven by a desire to see a more just world, and central themes included the importance of the past in addressing the present; the relation between art and beauty and imagination; and the importance of looking. This talk will explore the continuing importance of Berger’s insights.

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