
Ways of Seeing
John Berger · 1972
Berger's radical rethinking of how we look at art challenged the mystification of art history and opened visual culture to democratic interpretation. Originating as a 1972 BBC series, it remains the most taught art criticism text in universities worldwide. His essay on the male gaze presaged feminist theory by decades.
Essays · the Pro canon
The case for it, the case against, and the rest of the canon open with Pro.