John Berger Quote

“All photographs are there to remind us of what we forget. In this - as in other ways - they are the opposite of paintings. Paintings record what the painter remembers. Because each one of us forgets different things, a photo more than a painting may change its meaning according to who is looking at it.” ~John Berger



I agree with this quote. If I looked at a scene and went to paint it later, the entire scene can change depending on what I remember, and how I am feeling. If I take a picture, what was in the scene is recorded in that picture until I decide to add to it or remove it. I take his last statement to mean that I could think of a birthday long ago and not remember I used to have an old best friend that was there until I see a picture of it. Another person may remember the old friend but may not remember whose birthday it was until the picture shows who has a birthday hat on. It adds new revelations to different people.