John Berger. The art of seeing (№ 396440)

Original paintings are silent and still. It can not boast of information. Even the reproduction hanging on the wall, incomparable in this respect with the original, where silence and peace pervade the material itself, the paint, allowing to trace directly the movements of the artist. And thus reduced the temporal distance between the creation of the painting and our staring at her. In this specific sense, all paintings are thoroughly modern. Hence the immediacy of their testimony. The historical moment is literally standing in front of our eyes.