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How Do We Look: The Body, the Divine, and the Question of Civilization
From prehistoric Mexico to modern Istanbul, Mary Beard looks beyond the familiar canon of Western imagery to explore the history of art, religion, and humanity.
Conceived as a gorgeously illustrated accompaniment to “How Do We Look” and “The Eye of Faith,” the famed Civilisations shows on PBS, renowned classicist Mary Beard has created this elegant volume on how we have looked at art. Focusing in Part I on the Olmec heads of early Mesoamerica, the colossal statues of the pharaoh Amenhotep III, and the nudes of classical Greece, Beard explores the power, hierarchy, and gender politics of the art of the ancient world, and explains how it came to define the so-called civilized world. In Part II, Beard chronicles some of the most breathtaking religious imagery ever made—whether at Angkor Wat, Ravenna, Venice, or in the art of Jewish and Islamic calligraphers— to show how all religions, ancient and modern, have faced irreconcilable problems in trying to picture the divine. With this classic volume, Beard redefines the Western-and male-centric legacies of Ernst Gombrich and Kenneth Clark.
Conceived as a gorgeously illustrated accompaniment to “How Do We Look” and “The Eye of Faith,” the famed Civilisations shows on PBS, renowned classicist Mary Beard has created this elegant volume on how we have looked at art. Focusing in Part I on the Olmec heads of early Mesoamerica, the colossal statues of the pharaoh Amenhotep III, and the nudes of classical Greece, Beard explores the power, hierarchy, and gender politics of the art of the ancient world, and explains how it came to define the so-called civilized world. In Part II, Beard chronicles some of the most breathtaking religious imagery ever made—whether at Angkor Wat, Ravenna, Venice, or in the art of Jewish and Islamic calligraphers— to show how all religions, ancient and modern, have faced irreconcilable problems in trying to picture the divine. With this classic volume, Beard redefines the Western-and male-centric legacies of Ernst Gombrich and Kenneth Clark.
240 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 2, 2018
About the author
Mary Beard
69 books4,505 followersWinifred Mary Beard (born 1 January 1955) is Professor of Classics at the University of Cambridge and is a fellow of Newnham College. She is the Classics editor of the Times Literary Supplement, and author of the blog "A Don's Life", which appears on The Times as a regular column. Her frequent media appearances and sometimes controversial public statements have led to her being described as "Britain's best-known classicist".
Mary Beard, an only child, was born on 1 January 1955 in Much Wenlock, Shropshire. Her father, Roy Whitbread Beard, worked as an architect in Shrewsbury. She recalled him as "a raffish public-schoolboy type and a complete wastrel, but very engaging". Her mother Joyce Emily Beard was a headmistress and an enthusiastic reader.
Mary Beard attended an all-female direct grant school. During the summer she participated in archaeological excavations; this was initially to earn money for recreational spending, but she began to find the study of antiquity unexpectedly interesting. But it was not all that interested the young Beard. She had friends in many age groups, and a number of trangressions: "Playing around with other people's husbands when you were 17 was bad news. Yes, I was a very naughty girl."
At the age of 18 she was interviewed for a place at Newnham College, Cambridge and sat the then compulsory entrance exam. She had thought of going to King's, but rejected it when she discovered the college did not offer scholarships to women. Although studying at a single-sex college, she found in her first year that some men in the University held dismissive attitudes towards women's academic potential, and this strengthened her determination to succeed. She also developed feminist views that remained "hugely important" in her later life, although she later described "modern orthodox feminism" as partly "cant". Beard received an MA at Newnham and remained in Cambridge for her PhD.
From 1979 to 1983 she lectured in Classics at King's College London. She returned to Cambridge in 1984 as a fellow of Newnham College and the only female lecturer in the Classics faculty. Rome in the Late Republic, which she co-wrote with the Cambridge ancient historian Michael Crawford, was published the same year. In 1985 Beard married Robin Sinclair Cormack. She had a daughter in 1985 and a son in 1987. Beard became Classics editor of the Times Literary Supplement in 1992.
Shortly after the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Beard was one of several authors invited to contribute articles on the topic to the London Review of Books. She opined that many people, once "the shock had faded", thought "the United States had it coming", and that "[w]orld bullies, even if their heart is in the right place, will in the end pay the price".[4] In a November 2007 interview, she stated that the hostility these comments provoked had still not subsided, although she believed it had become a standard viewpoint that terrorism was associated with American foreign policy.[1]
In 2004, Beard became the Professor of Classics at Cambridge.[3] She is also the Visiting Sather Professor of Classical Literature for 2008–2009 at the University of California, Berkeley, where she has delivered a series of lectures on "Roman Laughter".[5]
Mary Beard, an only child, was born on 1 January 1955 in Much Wenlock, Shropshire. Her father, Roy Whitbread Beard, worked as an architect in Shrewsbury. She recalled him as "a raffish public-schoolboy type and a complete wastrel, but very engaging". Her mother Joyce Emily Beard was a headmistress and an enthusiastic reader.
Mary Beard attended an all-female direct grant school. During the summer she participated in archaeological excavations; this was initially to earn money for recreational spending, but she began to find the study of antiquity unexpectedly interesting. But it was not all that interested the young Beard. She had friends in many age groups, and a number of trangressions: "Playing around with other people's husbands when you were 17 was bad news. Yes, I was a very naughty girl."
At the age of 18 she was interviewed for a place at Newnham College, Cambridge and sat the then compulsory entrance exam. She had thought of going to King's, but rejected it when she discovered the college did not offer scholarships to women. Although studying at a single-sex college, she found in her first year that some men in the University held dismissive attitudes towards women's academic potential, and this strengthened her determination to succeed. She also developed feminist views that remained "hugely important" in her later life, although she later described "modern orthodox feminism" as partly "cant". Beard received an MA at Newnham and remained in Cambridge for her PhD.
From 1979 to 1983 she lectured in Classics at King's College London. She returned to Cambridge in 1984 as a fellow of Newnham College and the only female lecturer in the Classics faculty. Rome in the Late Republic, which she co-wrote with the Cambridge ancient historian Michael Crawford, was published the same year. In 1985 Beard married Robin Sinclair Cormack. She had a daughter in 1985 and a son in 1987. Beard became Classics editor of the Times Literary Supplement in 1992.
Shortly after the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Beard was one of several authors invited to contribute articles on the topic to the London Review of Books. She opined that many people, once "the shock had faded", thought "the United States had it coming", and that "[w]orld bullies, even if their heart is in the right place, will in the end pay the price".[4] In a November 2007 interview, she stated that the hostility these comments provoked had still not subsided, although she believed it had become a standard viewpoint that terrorism was associated with American foreign policy.[1]
In 2004, Beard became the Professor of Classics at Cambridge.[3] She is also the Visiting Sather Professor of Classical Literature for 2008–2009 at the University of California, Berkeley, where she has delivered a series of lectures on "Roman Laughter".[5]
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 414 reviews
January 9, 2021
In this first and second installment of the BBC's Civilizations series, classic historian Mary Beard tackles two themes: how we all view art in very different ways, and how both religion and art itself have always grappled with the challenge of giving the divine a visual form. These are two extremely interesting perspectives. Unfortunately, this booklet does not live up to its ambition: Beard presents a succession of very short pieces in which things are discussed very superficially; this book is nothing more than a written television script. Also, her promise to put more women in the spotlight and to shift the focus from the artist to the art consumer is only partially fulfilled. But just like in the subsequent parts, by David Olusoga, Beard is definitely sliding away from Kenneth Clark's Eurocentric gaze, and that surely is a plus.
April 29, 2022
I've read a nonfiction by Mary Beard and seen some documentary with her in it and liked them both a lot. Although I found this interesting and quote emersive it felt a bit rushed
January 21, 2019
How Do We Look is based off Mary Beard's BBC documentary, Civilisations. That makes it slightly janky as a book but still very informative. Probably would have done better in the coffee table format but I probably would not have picked it up then and I'm happy I did.
The book centers on the experience of the consumer of ancient art through two lenses: the body and faith. Beard cautions us from thinking of art and architecture from the context of a museum and asks us to engage with it as the people of the time did when these objects were created. For instance, many of the beautifully painted greek ceramics were the result of a commercial industrialized process, something that I found surprising. Beard has also taken a broader view of civilisation than the very west-centric approach that is often taken when writing about any subject from a macro view.
For someone who doesn't know much about Art History, this is an accessible introduction to it, partly because Mary Beard isn't writing as a Art Historian.
--
January 2019
The book centers on the experience of the consumer of ancient art through two lenses: the body and faith. Beard cautions us from thinking of art and architecture from the context of a museum and asks us to engage with it as the people of the time did when these objects were created. For instance, many of the beautifully painted greek ceramics were the result of a commercial industrialized process, something that I found surprising. Beard has also taken a broader view of civilisation than the very west-centric approach that is often taken when writing about any subject from a macro view.
For someone who doesn't know much about Art History, this is an accessible introduction to it, partly because Mary Beard isn't writing as a Art Historian.
--
January 2019
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October 11, 2025A influência do mundo antigo não é algo que esteja arrumado de vez no passado longínquo: aquilo a que chamaríamos hoje o «estilo clássico» tem uma longa e poderosa história que vem até aos nossos dias.
A proposta de Mary Beard não podia ser mais apelativa: sob a parangona da alteralidade, trazer ao leitor não o conceito de civilização - europeu, masculino e colonial -, mas abrir espaço para atravessar as fronteiras entre "nós" e os "outros", mostrando que a ideia de civilidade é transmutavel e atua como um conceito plástico dependendo do olhar de cada um.
Não se trata apenas de como era a aparência das pessoas do passado ou como elas escolheram representar-se a si próprias. Trata-se também de como olhamos agora mesmo.
Para expandir o campo de visão, Beard interage com a arte não do ponto de vista do artista, mas do ponto de vista do consumidor original ou do espectador atual. O desvio de foco funciona, mas o desafio de abarcar temporalidades e geografias tão díspares apresenta-se, por defeito, incompleto. Os referenciais de um europeu serão sempre europeus e desembocarão, obrigatoriamente, na Grécia Clássica. O que talvez nos comece a fazer pensar que não é tanto o discurso ocidental que deve mudar (de forma artificial), mas os discursos extraeuropeus que devem começar a apropriar-se de território ocidental (fazendo-o mudar de forma orgânica). Assim não incorremos na sensação de incompletude que, normalmente, acompanha estes trabalhos bem intencionados, mas, forçosamente, limitados.
Apesar de tudo, Civilizações é uma obra que revela lucidez na forma como escolhe aproximar o olhar da arte antes mesmo desta ser considerada arte. Na forma como reconhece valores utilitários, religiosos e políticos nas peças que hoje definham portas adentro de museus - visitados por poucos, compreendidos por ainda menos. Reconhecendo-lhes camadas de significados perdidas pela sua museificação, Beard admite (embora não fale disso abertamente) uma forma de iconoclastia pouco explorada: a esterilização iconológica. Mais do que qualquer outra coisa, é essa consciência que valoriza este livro. Reconhecer que o conceito de civilização é abstracto não é difícil. Difícil é perceber como forçamos as narrativas de alteralidade a obedecer à nossa definição de civilizado. E como, no processo, diluímos os valores que lhe são intrínsecos.
Por muito laicos que nos sintamos ao contemplar as ruínas do Pártenon, quando apreciamos a sua arte e nos embrenhamos na sua mitologia acabamos muitas vezes por reflectir acerca de questões com as quais as religiões nos ajudaram a lidar. De onde venho? Onde pertenço? Qual é o meu lugar na história da humanidade? Estamos perante uma fé moderna, mesmo que não a reconheçamos como tal. Uma fé a que chamamos «civilização». É uma ideia com um percurso muito parecido com o de uma religião, oferecendo narrativas grandiosas sobre as nossas origens e o nosso destino, juntando pessoas numa crença partilhada. E o Pártenon tornou-se o seu símbolo. Por isso, se me perguntarem o que é a civilização, direi que é pouco mais do que um acto de fé.
A proposta de Mary Beard não podia ser mais apelativa: sob a parangona da alteralidade, trazer ao leitor não o conceito de civilização - europeu, masculino e colonial -, mas abrir espaço para atravessar as fronteiras entre "nós" e os "outros", mostrando que a ideia de civilidade é transmutavel e atua como um conceito plástico dependendo do olhar de cada um.
Não se trata apenas de como era a aparência das pessoas do passado ou como elas escolheram representar-se a si próprias. Trata-se também de como olhamos agora mesmo.
Para expandir o campo de visão, Beard interage com a arte não do ponto de vista do artista, mas do ponto de vista do consumidor original ou do espectador atual. O desvio de foco funciona, mas o desafio de abarcar temporalidades e geografias tão díspares apresenta-se, por defeito, incompleto. Os referenciais de um europeu serão sempre europeus e desembocarão, obrigatoriamente, na Grécia Clássica. O que talvez nos comece a fazer pensar que não é tanto o discurso ocidental que deve mudar (de forma artificial), mas os discursos extraeuropeus que devem começar a apropriar-se de território ocidental (fazendo-o mudar de forma orgânica). Assim não incorremos na sensação de incompletude que, normalmente, acompanha estes trabalhos bem intencionados, mas, forçosamente, limitados.
Apesar de tudo, Civilizações é uma obra que revela lucidez na forma como escolhe aproximar o olhar da arte antes mesmo desta ser considerada arte. Na forma como reconhece valores utilitários, religiosos e políticos nas peças que hoje definham portas adentro de museus - visitados por poucos, compreendidos por ainda menos. Reconhecendo-lhes camadas de significados perdidas pela sua museificação, Beard admite (embora não fale disso abertamente) uma forma de iconoclastia pouco explorada: a esterilização iconológica. Mais do que qualquer outra coisa, é essa consciência que valoriza este livro. Reconhecer que o conceito de civilização é abstracto não é difícil. Difícil é perceber como forçamos as narrativas de alteralidade a obedecer à nossa definição de civilizado. E como, no processo, diluímos os valores que lhe são intrínsecos.
Por muito laicos que nos sintamos ao contemplar as ruínas do Pártenon, quando apreciamos a sua arte e nos embrenhamos na sua mitologia acabamos muitas vezes por reflectir acerca de questões com as quais as religiões nos ajudaram a lidar. De onde venho? Onde pertenço? Qual é o meu lugar na história da humanidade? Estamos perante uma fé moderna, mesmo que não a reconheçamos como tal. Uma fé a que chamamos «civilização». É uma ideia com um percurso muito parecido com o de uma religião, oferecendo narrativas grandiosas sobre as nossas origens e o nosso destino, juntando pessoas numa crença partilhada. E o Pártenon tornou-se o seu símbolo. Por isso, se me perguntarem o que é a civilização, direi que é pouco mais do que um acto de fé.
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January 9, 2021A nice but rather shallow venture into cultural history. I like her TV-work very much, but this was below my expectations. See my review in my general account: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
January 27, 2019
When the more recent Civilization was shown on PBS, they edited it a bit from the British version because we can’t have nice things in America since we elected an orange. But they edited out much Mary Beard which is so not right.
Really not right.
So if you are wondering why Mary Beard wrote a book that functions as a companion to the series, that's why. It is a look at how the viewer interacts with art. She focuses on ancient and religious art. There is some cool bits about the ancient world, and her comments about the statues of pharaohs are worthy of thought
Really not right.
So if you are wondering why Mary Beard wrote a book that functions as a companion to the series, that's why. It is a look at how the viewer interacts with art. She focuses on ancient and religious art. There is some cool bits about the ancient world, and her comments about the statues of pharaohs are worthy of thought
December 30, 2018
An interesting look at Civilization and what this concept means
“One of its most powerful weapons has always been ‘barbarity’: we know that we are civilised by contrasting ourselves with those we deem to be uncivilised, with those who do not - or cannot be trusted to - share our values. Civilisation is a process of exclusion as well as inclusion”
“In the end, one person’s barbarity is another person’s civilisation”
Mary Beard shows in this short and beautifully illustrated book two aspects of art. It feels like short essays, and left me longing for a bit more in depth discussion of some of the examples Beard brings up.
Firstly how through ages and cultures the human form in art has been used as propoganda (Ramses his massive statues), an examplifier of power (the Xi’an terracota army) or on a more personal level a reflection of loved ones lost (Greek and Roman portraits). She shows that the human fascination with depicting and immortalising its own form is quite universal and that crosspolination between for instance Egyptian statues and the Greek Kouros exists.
For Western eyes art has a lot to do with the as perfect as possible mimicry of reality, and this view is often used as a barometer of one’s civilisation, handily making the Greek/Roman civilisation come up on top as the most civilised. Beard stops this section with a reflection on the enormous effort the Olmec must have poured into their human like statues at the same time the Egyptians did.
The second part dives into the contrast between the statue/portrait and the concept (like Virgin Mary), a balancing act between piety and idolatry for many religions throughout the world.
An interesting perspective I had not thought of is that some overcrowded murals are just that, and were equally hard to understand for then present onlookers as for us now, to invoke serious religious reflection and introspection.
“One of its most powerful weapons has always been ‘barbarity’: we know that we are civilised by contrasting ourselves with those we deem to be uncivilised, with those who do not - or cannot be trusted to - share our values. Civilisation is a process of exclusion as well as inclusion”
“In the end, one person’s barbarity is another person’s civilisation”
Mary Beard shows in this short and beautifully illustrated book two aspects of art. It feels like short essays, and left me longing for a bit more in depth discussion of some of the examples Beard brings up.
Firstly how through ages and cultures the human form in art has been used as propoganda (Ramses his massive statues), an examplifier of power (the Xi’an terracota army) or on a more personal level a reflection of loved ones lost (Greek and Roman portraits). She shows that the human fascination with depicting and immortalising its own form is quite universal and that crosspolination between for instance Egyptian statues and the Greek Kouros exists.
For Western eyes art has a lot to do with the as perfect as possible mimicry of reality, and this view is often used as a barometer of one’s civilisation, handily making the Greek/Roman civilisation come up on top as the most civilised. Beard stops this section with a reflection on the enormous effort the Olmec must have poured into their human like statues at the same time the Egyptians did.
The second part dives into the contrast between the statue/portrait and the concept (like Virgin Mary), a balancing act between piety and idolatry for many religions throughout the world.
An interesting perspective I had not thought of is that some overcrowded murals are just that, and were equally hard to understand for then present onlookers as for us now, to invoke serious religious reflection and introspection.
October 19, 2020
Renowned Cambridge classicist considers how we view art. Short and sweet.
"So much depends on who is looking, from ancient master or ancient slave to eighteenth-century connoisseur or twenty-first-century tourist. And so much depends on the context in which they look, whether ancient cemetery or temple, English stately home or modern museum. I am not sure that it is ever possible entirely to recreate the views of those who first saw classical art, and I am not sure that it is the be all and end all of our understanding anyway (the changing ways these objects have been seen through the centuries is an important part of their history too). But in *How Do We Look* I have tried to reflect the domestic ordinariness—and occasionally the flamboyance—of some ancient art, and I have tried to recapture something of 'the shock of the new.'"
"So much depends on who is looking, from ancient master or ancient slave to eighteenth-century connoisseur or twenty-first-century tourist. And so much depends on the context in which they look, whether ancient cemetery or temple, English stately home or modern museum. I am not sure that it is ever possible entirely to recreate the views of those who first saw classical art, and I am not sure that it is the be all and end all of our understanding anyway (the changing ways these objects have been seen through the centuries is an important part of their history too). But in *How Do We Look* I have tried to reflect the domestic ordinariness—and occasionally the flamboyance—of some ancient art, and I have tried to recapture something of 'the shock of the new.'"
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July 5, 2022У 1969 році Кеннет Кларк зробив для ВВС цикл передач "Цивілізація" (принципово в однині), де подав огляд мистецької історії західної цивілізації як вершинного здобутку людства, що перебуває під постійною загрозою від оцих-от усіх варварів навколо. Відтоді інші критики з ним регулярно полемізують - найвідомішим прикладом є "Ways of Seeing" Джона Берджера (центральний аргумент: мистецький канон - це не про якусь імманентну якість, це про владні стосунки в суспільстві, і не зауважувати цього є небезпечною маніпуляцією). Найсвіжішою полемічною реплікою є "Цивілізації" (у множині) ВВС, де серед ведучих була зокрема найвідоміша медійна античниця Мері Берд. Це текстовий есеїстичний виклад її передач, я її ніжно люблю, тому прочитала (власне, прослухала) з задоволенням, хоча нічого прямо принципово революційного чи intellectually stimulating там нема. Просто ерудована й інтелектуально харизматична людина описує, як людство в різні епохи концептуалізувало (а) зображення людського тіла; (б) зображення богів - і як взаємодіяло з цими зображеннями. Відповідно, порівняно з Кларком акцент зміщується з самотніх геніїв на історію побутування мистецтва, та й панорама розмаїтіша - від доколумбової Америки до Китаю. Текст необов'язковий, а з іншого боку, чом би й ні.
March 8, 2018
Very accessible, maybe even too light and brief, but still so many lovely nuggets of insight.
April 1, 2018
Reminds me of why I miss my University days. Mary Beard gives us enough information to spark our interest but not so much that it exhausts our appetite for the subject. We aren’t being thrust information that’s purely black and white, this means this and that is that, but being gently guided to ask questions, explore ideas and think more deeply for ourselves.
Plain speaking and very accessible, touching on a broad range for the length of the book, I hadn’t really planned to blitz through in one sitting (having grabbed it on impulse at the supermarket and getting absorbed into the introduction whilst the groceries were still being rung up - sorry cashier!) but the end snuck up on me. This read had all the same post-seminar learning buzz of yesteryears, leaving me all kinds of nostalgic and a little heartbroken. And, possibly, a little too blissed out over the chapter bibliographies in those final two dozen pages.
Divided into two halves, as titled, How We Look (5*) and The Eye of Faith (4*), I couldn’t bring myself to give this less than top marks for the final verdict. Stunningly presented, beautiful colour photographs throughout and paperstock that makes my inner book nerd’s toes curl... All in, if the topic floats your boat, you’ll be missing out if you pass this by. Gem.
Plain speaking and very accessible, touching on a broad range for the length of the book, I hadn’t really planned to blitz through in one sitting (having grabbed it on impulse at the supermarket and getting absorbed into the introduction whilst the groceries were still being rung up - sorry cashier!) but the end snuck up on me. This read had all the same post-seminar learning buzz of yesteryears, leaving me all kinds of nostalgic and a little heartbroken. And, possibly, a little too blissed out over the chapter bibliographies in those final two dozen pages.
Divided into two halves, as titled, How We Look (5*) and The Eye of Faith (4*), I couldn’t bring myself to give this less than top marks for the final verdict. Stunningly presented, beautiful colour photographs throughout and paperstock that makes my inner book nerd’s toes curl... All in, if the topic floats your boat, you’ll be missing out if you pass this by. Gem.
November 15, 2018
Mary Beard is still the most engaging writer of the history of the ancient world to be found anywhere and this somewhat smaller work is a clear example of that. The title, "How Do We Look," works on a number of fronts in that it contrasts that simplistic question - usually asked when fishing for compliments - with the more serious questions this work asks, mainly, how have humans traditionally represented themselves and the divine, and, how do we now look back at these representations with modern eyes/sensibilities?
The work's two sections, "The Body in Question," and, "The Eye of Faith," examine the history of these representations, and our reactions to them with sparkling and vivid prose that is matched with beautiful full color prints of the works of art in question. The constant search for the proper balance of direct mimesis with more hagiographic celebrations is explored across several civilizations and time-periods. Equally examined is how our modern view of these, "great works," has been distorted by unsubtle analysis with a tinge of ethnocentric western feeling of superiority by previous historians and important figures. This is a joy to read and the gorgeous images and photographs of these important works make it all the more enjoyable.
The work's two sections, "The Body in Question," and, "The Eye of Faith," examine the history of these representations, and our reactions to them with sparkling and vivid prose that is matched with beautiful full color prints of the works of art in question. The constant search for the proper balance of direct mimesis with more hagiographic celebrations is explored across several civilizations and time-periods. Equally examined is how our modern view of these, "great works," has been distorted by unsubtle analysis with a tinge of ethnocentric western feeling of superiority by previous historians and important figures. This is a joy to read and the gorgeous images and photographs of these important works make it all the more enjoyable.
February 3, 2021
Mary Beard is a born storyteller and some wonderful stories are told here: Hadrian visiting Egypt to see a famous "singing" statue. The Greek legend of how Boutades' daughter invented portraiture. She also looks at many famous artworks from a range of religious traditions: the Ajanta Caves, the Virgin statue of Macarena, the famous Apollo of Belvedere, Tintoretto's paintings in the Schola di san Rocco in Venice and of course the terracotta statues of the Qin emperor's tomb.
My main complaint is that any argument (if indeed there is any) is largely secondary or lost amidst the rapturous descriptions and quite superficial. She does make some points about whether art enhances or detracts from worship (are we worshipping the artwork itself or the religious figure being depicted?), and she makes the interesting observations that the colossal statues created in the ancient world might not be merely a portrayal of power and status but a form of self-affirmation for these seemingly all powerful figures with fragile egos. But I would have liked for there to be far more depth and for the exploration of ideas to be less of an afterthought.
(2.5 stars)
My main complaint is that any argument (if indeed there is any) is largely secondary or lost amidst the rapturous descriptions and quite superficial. She does make some points about whether art enhances or detracts from worship (are we worshipping the artwork itself or the religious figure being depicted?), and she makes the interesting observations that the colossal statues created in the ancient world might not be merely a portrayal of power and status but a form of self-affirmation for these seemingly all powerful figures with fragile egos. But I would have liked for there to be far more depth and for the exploration of ideas to be less of an afterthought.
(2.5 stars)
January 8, 2023
i always have a hard time rating history books because. how. do. you. rate. history? but, mary beard was first introduced to me by one of my teachers and we talk about her all the time in class and its crystal clear why, this woman takes her knowledge and her life long studies and puts it all in books that can be understood by everyone, wether you know anything about art or not. in how do we look, beard gives the reader a slightly superficial and very quick analysis on how humans have seen and represented themselves, death, religion and nature in art and architecture, as well as how, we, as a "modern" civilization look at these ancient representations. i love how fast paced this is because reading these kind of books can tend to get a little dull if you're given a lot of information, and that is exactly why i love mary beard, she gives it quick, easy and simple, and you'll never forget anything she teaches you.
December 5, 2020
It's not that this book isn't good, but trying to cover the history of figurative and religious art, as well as what it tells us about who made it but also about who is looking at it, is a tall order for 200 pages. I didn't realize when I started that this is a companion book to a documentary series, so it makes sense that the tone is 'let's look at a cool thing for a bit and then pause for a commercial break and then look at something completely different.' As a gateway to a bunch of topics that you can decide what you want to learn more about, it's perfect, since it also provides a "recommended readings" section at the back so you can seek out more detailed discussions. And the photos are stunning.
I just really wanted waaaay more historical depth and detail than this book gave me.
I just really wanted waaaay more historical depth and detail than this book gave me.
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August 20, 2021An interesting discussion of art, history, the body. Great illustrations.
December 21, 2021
Primer libro que leo de la autora, en verdad me gustó el lenguaje que usa, hay bastantes imágenes para ilustrar lo que ella quiere decir, además es algo que se lee en un corto tiempo, pero no por ello, deja de ser algo interesante e informativo.
Sobre la introducción del libro, es importante poner a debate esa palabra de civilización, la cual solo ha sido achacada a los pueblos europeos, dejando de lado el resto del mundo, la autora partiendo de ello usa varios lugares para mirar como las civilizaciones se miraban así mismas, desde el cuerpo o como miraban la divinidad.
En la primer parte, las cabezas olmecas, con una prueba que desde la antigüedad nos interesa representarnos, pero también el arte puede ser un objeto activo como la figura egipcia que cantaba, el arte igual refleja la vida cotidiana como la de los griegos. El arte sirve para reafirmar la autoridad, como le sucedió a Ramsés II, igualmente, el arte evoluciona, cambia, se transforma de acuerdo a los nexos que se tiene con otras culturas, como le pasó a muchas civilizaciones, finalmente el boxeador Olmeca demuestra cómo las influencias occidentales permean, de cierto modo, nuestra visión del arte.
En la segunda parte, como se representa a Dios, es una cuestión bastante compleja, porqué muchas veces se puede caer en la idolatría, es por ello que muchas obras de arte que muestran el poder del más allá son destruidas, pese a eso el arte hacia Jesús y Buda es numeroso, mostrando como el humano se ha interesado en retratar lo divino, en la arquitectura de las mezquitas, o en el mismo lenguaje también son un medio para comunicar la religión.
En conclusión, un buen libro para pasar el rato y aprender sobre el arte de diferentes civilizaciones.
Sobre la introducción del libro, es importante poner a debate esa palabra de civilización, la cual solo ha sido achacada a los pueblos europeos, dejando de lado el resto del mundo, la autora partiendo de ello usa varios lugares para mirar como las civilizaciones se miraban así mismas, desde el cuerpo o como miraban la divinidad.
En la primer parte, las cabezas olmecas, con una prueba que desde la antigüedad nos interesa representarnos, pero también el arte puede ser un objeto activo como la figura egipcia que cantaba, el arte igual refleja la vida cotidiana como la de los griegos. El arte sirve para reafirmar la autoridad, como le sucedió a Ramsés II, igualmente, el arte evoluciona, cambia, se transforma de acuerdo a los nexos que se tiene con otras culturas, como le pasó a muchas civilizaciones, finalmente el boxeador Olmeca demuestra cómo las influencias occidentales permean, de cierto modo, nuestra visión del arte.
En la segunda parte, como se representa a Dios, es una cuestión bastante compleja, porqué muchas veces se puede caer en la idolatría, es por ello que muchas obras de arte que muestran el poder del más allá son destruidas, pese a eso el arte hacia Jesús y Buda es numeroso, mostrando como el humano se ha interesado en retratar lo divino, en la arquitectura de las mezquitas, o en el mismo lenguaje también son un medio para comunicar la religión.
En conclusión, un buen libro para pasar el rato y aprender sobre el arte de diferentes civilizaciones.
May 31, 2019
Un paseo rápido y heterogéneo por la historia de las civilizaciones y las religiones a través del arte.
Lo mejor: las preguntas que plantea.
Lo que menos me ha gustado: que profundiza poco.
No obstante, lo recomiendo a personas que busquen mirar el arte de manera diferente. Es interesante y se lee en una hora larga.
Lo mejor: las preguntas que plantea.
Lo que menos me ha gustado: que profundiza poco.
No obstante, lo recomiendo a personas que busquen mirar el arte de manera diferente. Es interesante y se lee en una hora larga.
March 6, 2025
I think this is the first book I’ve read that discusses ancient civilizations and their art while going beyond Ancient Rome and Greece. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE everything about Rome and Greece, but let’s be real, there are so many other ancient civilizations out there.
It was pretty cool that the book starts with a mention of the Olmecs and their giant head sculptures, especially since one of the most famous ones was discovered in my home state. Even today, people don’t know much about their culture, yet their art has endured.
I also found it interesting how, despite worshiping different deities, people across the globe all aimed to represent the divine in their art. If anything, this book might spark an understanding of how we’re all more connected than we realize.
It was pretty cool that the book starts with a mention of the Olmecs and their giant head sculptures, especially since one of the most famous ones was discovered in my home state. Even today, people don’t know much about their culture, yet their art has endured.
I also found it interesting how, despite worshiping different deities, people across the globe all aimed to represent the divine in their art. If anything, this book might spark an understanding of how we’re all more connected than we realize.
May 9, 2022
導覽式的引領讀者觀看與思考，以書來說稍嫌簡單，但視角非常有趣而且值得一看。這本是全彩真的很值得。
好想更深入看關於偶像崇拜與藝術和生活互動的方式與文明定義的部分哇。
好想更深入看關於偶像崇拜與藝術和生活互動的方式與文明定義的部分哇。
March 15, 2018
watch here1: The first film by Simon Schama looks at the formative role art and the creative imagination have played in the forging of humanity itself.
2: Mary Beard explores images of the human body in ancient art, from Mexico and Greece to Egypt and China
3: Simon Schama explores the depiction of nature. Simon discovers that landscape painting is seldom a straightforward description of observed nature
4: Professor Mary Beard explores the controversial topic of religion and art. How, and at what cost, do different religions make the unseen visible?
5: Simon Schama examines how the role of artists from the different traditions of West and East developed in the years that followed the Renaissances
6: In the 15th and 16th centuries distant and disparate cultures met, often for the first time. David Olusoga shows art was always on the frontline
7: Simon Schama starts his meditation on colour and civilisation with the great Gothic cathedrals of Amiens and Chartres.
8: David Olusoga explores the artistic reaction to imperialism in the 19th century
9: In the final programme Simon Schama explores the fate of art in the machine and profit-driven world
Will Gompertz review
March 2, 2019
Boy oh boy, I hated this book. I haven't seen Civilisations, so I can't compare this companion book to that series. But if the show is anything like How Do We Look, I will be avoiding it.
Beard's approach is to tell a historical anecdote or recount the details of a piece of art and then extrapolate vague, high-sounding proclamations from it — usually without providing any evidence for these proclamations. For example, in writing about the out-of-order scenes of the Buddha’s life depicted in the Ajanta cave paintings, Beard confidently explains that the “apparently confusing paintings” were purposefully because it “made their viewers do religious work.” She says the “fragmentariness of the narration... echoed the fragmentariness often found in religious stories” and that “even the lack of light had its part to play” because using a lamp to illuminate the paintings was “enacting a perfect metaphor for one kind of religious experience.”
This sounds like utter bullshit to me. Beard makes no effort to explain how she can so confidently interpret the intentions of these ancient artist(s), and in fact rails against this very same kind of presumption elsewhere in the book.
How Do We Look is short, but I was still surprised at how little information it actually contains (in contrast with purple-prosed speculation). Beard's writing is also clunky and disjointed — I found myself having to repeatedly reread in order to understand her meaning.
I learned a few interesting things, but it was not worth the 200 pages of rambling, highfalutin discourse.
Beard's approach is to tell a historical anecdote or recount the details of a piece of art and then extrapolate vague, high-sounding proclamations from it — usually without providing any evidence for these proclamations. For example, in writing about the out-of-order scenes of the Buddha’s life depicted in the Ajanta cave paintings, Beard confidently explains that the “apparently confusing paintings” were purposefully because it “made their viewers do religious work.” She says the “fragmentariness of the narration... echoed the fragmentariness often found in religious stories” and that “even the lack of light had its part to play” because using a lamp to illuminate the paintings was “enacting a perfect metaphor for one kind of religious experience.”
This sounds like utter bullshit to me. Beard makes no effort to explain how she can so confidently interpret the intentions of these ancient artist(s), and in fact rails against this very same kind of presumption elsewhere in the book.
How Do We Look is short, but I was still surprised at how little information it actually contains (in contrast with purple-prosed speculation). Beard's writing is also clunky and disjointed — I found myself having to repeatedly reread in order to understand her meaning.
I learned a few interesting things, but it was not worth the 200 pages of rambling, highfalutin discourse.
October 16, 2018
How Do We Look offers the reader a question well worth exploring: how do humans use art to explain how they think and feel about themselves. This is a question stolen directly from an Intro to Art syllabus, but it is a question worth asking because human imagination is arguably the most powerful force in the known universe. It can literally impact the physical world as humans create visions based upon their experiences and perceptions and imaginings, and Beard takes her reader through the centuries of the human experience to show how humans have channeled their imagination into creating some of the greatest artistic wonders of the world.
How We Look is not always as in-depth as I would have liked, but Beard's works tend to leave the reader inspired to begin their own explorations. The value of a book like How Do We Look is how it can inspire new readers, or even experienced readers, to contemplate the purpose and function of art and remind us how art can impact our reality.
Whether it's sculpting boxers out of bronze or literally carving a temple into the side of the mountain, human beings create. It's worth a moment of the reader's time to ask themselves where and why that impulse exists, and what they could or should do with it.
How We Look is not always as in-depth as I would have liked, but Beard's works tend to leave the reader inspired to begin their own explorations. The value of a book like How Do We Look is how it can inspire new readers, or even experienced readers, to contemplate the purpose and function of art and remind us how art can impact our reality.
Whether it's sculpting boxers out of bronze or literally carving a temple into the side of the mountain, human beings create. It's worth a moment of the reader's time to ask themselves where and why that impulse exists, and what they could or should do with it.
February 17, 2021
La verdad hace años que no me dedicaba a leer un libro de Historia desde que me titulé. Tenía curiosidad por Mary Beard por sus escritos sobre el imperio romano pero quería saber de ella en algo en donde hablara de todo. "Civilización en la mirada" es un buen compendio sobre la importancia de las imágenes / arte en las diversas civilizaciones que han dominado la Tierra.
Me gustó bastante, el apoyo de las imágenes ayuda bastante para entender lo que Beard quiere decir.
Recomendada a esos historiadores que gustan de estudiar las imágenes y el arte ♥️
Me gustó bastante, el apoyo de las imágenes ayuda bastante para entender lo que Beard quiere decir.
Recomendada a esos historiadores que gustan de estudiar las imágenes y el arte ♥️
April 15, 2019
«La cerámica pintada, un elemento básico de la vida cotidiana ateniense, desde las fiestas hasta la cocina, se fabricaba a la sombra de uno de los cementerios principales de la ciudad, junto a los recuerdos conmemorativos del pasado de los atenienses y los monumentos de mármol dedicados a los muertos. Si las imágenes ayudaban los atenienses a vivir los unos en compañía de los otros, también contribuían a mantener a los muertos en compañía de los vivos».
May 2, 2020
Este libro de Mary Beard reune dos ensayos breves, el primero sobre la representación del cuerpo humano en arte, y el segundo sobre las imagenes religiosas.
Es muy interesante la perspectiva de Beard, menos eurocéntrica de lo habitual cuando se habla de arte, y con algunas anécdotas curiosas. Su erudición, como siempre, impresionante
Una lectura breve, pero interesante (si te gusta el arte)
Es muy interesante la perspectiva de Beard, menos eurocéntrica de lo habitual cuando se habla de arte, y con algunas anécdotas curiosas. Su erudición, como siempre, impresionante
Una lectura breve, pero interesante (si te gusta el arte)
October 2, 2018
This was accessible and interesting, which are two things I wouldn't often say about art history.
April 27, 2021
Almost certainly better on tv. Beard unsuccessfully blends critique of civilization, reception history, short introduction.
August 27, 2023
Todo lo que escribe Mary Beard es hermoso. Mi libro es en papel brillante y molesto un poco el reflejo de la luz al hacer la lectura. Enriquecido con fotos. Vale la pena leerlo y tenerlo.
February 15, 2025
Beard's HOW DO WE LOOK is a companion piece to a television documentary series; with that insight, it makes sense why the book is more cursory in nature. Broadening her scope beyond her Classical world lens, Beard looks at ancient art from around the globe, offering context and speculations on how different civilizations saw themselves, the human body, and human's place in the larger world. The second section primarily looks at the human body (or lack there of) and iconography in religious art. The book opens with the ancient Olmec sculptured heads, and moves through ancient China, the Near East, Greek and Roman statuary and artistic representations, and briefly touches on the pre-modern/modern preservation, destruction, and collection of ancient art.
The book is designed more as a launch pad for deeper study - a large survey on a subject, followed with a Further Reading section.
Very readable with short chapters moving through the centuries, but still rich with Beard's pithy suppositions, like this one, on why kings, pharoahs, rulers surround themselves with powerful art of...themselves:
The book is designed more as a launch pad for deeper study - a large survey on a subject, followed with a Further Reading section.
Very readable with short chapters moving through the centuries, but still rich with Beard's pithy suppositions, like this one, on why kings, pharoahs, rulers surround themselves with powerful art of...themselves:
"Those of us with no inkling of power on a grand scale forget how hard it must be to believe in oneself as monarch or autocrat. The person why really needs to be convinced that he or she is preeminent, above the common herd, is none other than the ordinary human being who is masquerading as omnipotent ruler... we find more images of kings and queens in all their finery in royal palaces than anywhere else... It is a nice twist on the usual idea of 'propaganda' to think that at least one target audience of these colossal images of 'the body as power' was the person who commissioned them."
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