The Art of Seeing

Tanzania


A few years ago I went to visit the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. I wanted to see again and then some more of the wonderful sunflowers.

Near the entrance hall there was an exhibition of photography. Someone had retraced Van Gogh's steps through several places and streets he had lived at and worked. The pictures were all black and white telling a black-and-white story. The images were bleak, dull, boring and depressing. They were reflecting an ugly and uninspiring reality. Yet the artist - the ARTIST - managed to see and find so much beauty around him, to find inspiration and create so much more beauty. It felt almost incomprehensible.

Travelling through Africa at bike speed I feel once again fortunate and happy to see so much beauty so obvious on display. You don't have to be an artist, you don't need any divine inspiration, nor genius to see the beauty around. It's here for everybody to admire and enjoy. It's open and welcoming.


I hope I might have a better understanding of John Berger's "Art of Seeing" on a second reading given my latest experiences.