Ways of Seeing

"Ways of Seeing" by John Berger was, in general, an interesting read, but several specific sections of his writing stuck out to me.  A section of the reading that specifically resonated with me was when the Berger writes, "Images were first made to conjure up appearances of something that was absent."  Instantly, I thought of the infamous paintings of Jesus.  There is no photographical evidence of what Jesus looked like; therefore, the artist created his depiction of what Jesus looked like, giving the viewer the artist's version of him.
Also, it was interest to read about the works of Frans Hals, and to think that the emotions an artist feels toward a subject can be seen through the painting (even though it was clarified that he wasn't bitter toward his subjects).  Artists have the power to portray the subject as they please; the visual shows the relation between the artist and their subject.
Additionally, Berger discusses the replication of images, which can distort and diversify their true meaning.  What caught my attention was when he said after an image is reproduced, the image that the original shows is not exactly unique because it is seen frequently by viewers after its reproduction, but how it being the original work is what makes it unique.