Walter Benjaminã¢ââ¢s the Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

"The Work of Art on the Historic period of Mechanical Reproduction" by Walter Benjamin was published in 1936, the inter war catamenia. "Having experienced Fascism and the fascist utilize of media in Germany" [from Media & Cultural Studies Keyworks ed. by Durham and Kellner] Benjamin speaks to the transformation of the Marxian superstructure which he observed "has taken more a half century to manifest in all areas of culture the modify in the atmospheric condition of production". Reflecting on the function of art in the 20th century, he explores a theory of art and the "useful formulation of revolutionary demands in the politics of art." [Preface] Since first reading this essay fifteen years ago, I've always been struck by its prescience and continual resonance in the digital age, then please forgive the length of this provocation beyond the recommended 2-3 paragraph blog mail.

Benjamin asserts that the work of art has always been reproducible, merely is quick to point out that mechanical reproduction, i.due east., Marxian Capitalist mechanistic reproduction, through photography and moving-picture show, represents something new. Benjamin discusses the profound repercussions that reproduction of works of fine art through photography, and the 'art of the movie' have had on fine art in its traditional course. [Department I] Given this context, what are your thoughts on Benjamin's statement that "even the virtually perfect reproduction of a work of fine art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and infinite, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be," or in Benjamin-ian terms, its "aura". [Section II] Benjamin further clarifies and defines the term "aureola" of the piece of work of art every bit "that which withers in the age of mechanical reproduction". Do yous agree or disagree?

For this provocation, I'll apply an example from art: does Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa cease to be the Mona Lisa if we remove her from the rooms in which Leonardo painted and her patron intended her or the Louvre where she has resided for many centuries and still resides today? For example, more specifically, an enlarged and interactive Mona Lisa is currently on display in the windows of fashion conglomerate LVMH at fifth Ave. and 57th Street and she even winks. She is featured in a collection of luxury leather products designed by artist Jeff Koons entitled "MASTERS" that retails for approx. $585.00 – $four,000.00. Here'south a recent photo of the display:

Mona Lisa is likewise currently on display at my local mall via a jacket pattern:

Exercise yous recollect such reproduction erodes, or conversely, enhances the Benjamin-ian aureola of this work of art?

Benjamin attributes social bases for the "gimmicky decay of the aura" and that these "residuum on two circumstances, both of which are related to the increasing significance of the masses in contemporary life." [Department III] What are your thoughts on this?

While the contemporary cult of the Mona Lisa carries on in our modernistic manner world today, Benjamin states that "originally, the contextual integration of art in tradition found its expression in the cult" and he clarifies, "in other words, the unique value of the 'authentic' work of art has its basis in ritual, the location of its original employ value" and he proceeds with "an earth-shaking insight: for the commencement time in world history, mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of fine art from its parasitical dependence on ritual." Benjamin then points out a paradox that "to an always greater caste the work of art reproduced becomes the work of fine art designed for reproducibility." Cautioning, he qualifies this with: "Merely the instant that the criterion of actuality ceases to exist applicable to creative product, the total office of art is reversed. Instead of beingness based on ritual, it begins to exist based on another practice – politics." [Section 4] Do yous think the post-millennial function of art is one of ritual, politics or both? Can you lot cite examples of works of art to illustrate your point of view?

The Internet, and our use of it, are for us, in my opinion based upon Benjamin, the ultimate mechanical reproduction of fine art and exhibition space (another important concept to Benjamin). Acting as the mass which "is a matrix from which all traditional behavior toward works of art bug today in a new grade" [Department XV] the Net'southward inherent mechanical reproduction is the ultimate emancipation of art, and I'd add, also its paradoxical enslavement of art to the new rituals of clicking, copying, pasting, scanning, uploading, downloading, swiping, posting, re-posting, tweeting, re-tweeting, liking, favorite-ing and deleting.

While information technology is like shooting fish in a barrel for me to grasp the degradation of the Benjamin-ian aureola in the work of art, considering all one has to do is photocopy the Mona Lisa from an art book or copy it from a website and see the loss of resolution and aesthetic quality with each generation, one must ask rhetorically how Benjamin foresaw this without the benefit of Xerox, Photoshop, the Globe Wide Web, apps such as Instagram and filters. Exercise you find "The Work of Fine art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" as forward thinking as I exercise? Does information technology concur up in the digital historic period?

I cannot overlook that this provocation is assigned and intended for the readings for our Sept. 11 class, and it brings to mind some remarks made by the author of "Prozac Nation" Elizabeth Wurtzel. They struck me and then and nevertheless do now, as reminiscent of the Epilogue in which Benjamin theorizes that war is the ultimate work of fine art. Wurtzel was asked almost the events of Sept. 11, 2001 in Feb 2002 during an interview to promote her book More, Now, Again by the Toronto Earth and Mail in the context of her residency close to the World Trade Centre, and she commented equally follows: 'I had not the slightest emotional reaction. I thought, this is a actually foreign art projection…information technology was a most amazing sight in terms of sheer elegance. Information technology fell like water. It but slid, similar a turtleneck going over someone's head.' (Her comments set off a daze moving ridge and likely caused her movie for "Prozac Nation" made by Miramax not to exist released.) For me, these comments brought to heed words of Benjamin I have difficulty typing and relaying that "war is beautiful" and that "through gas warfare the aura is abolished in a new manner." Writing in his time and place, Benjamin quotes Fascism "Fiat ars – pereat mundus" (translation: let art be created, though the world perish) which was the Fascist spin on "l'fine art cascade l'art" (art for fine art's sake) and concludes past conjecturing "war to supply the artistic gratification of a sense of perception that has been inverse past technology." [Epilogue] Exercise you discover this to be the logical and likely post-Marxian evolution?

Related Video Clip: Does this video of LVMH'south Titian window (detail from the painting of Mars, Venus and Cupid) decay its aura or heighten it?

Related Resources:

"Jeff Koons's New Line" by Vanessa Friedman, The New York Times, April eleven, 2017

"The Louis Vuitton x Jeff Koons Bags May Exist My To the lowest degree Favorite Designer Collab E'er" past Amanda Mull on purseblog, April thirteen, 2017

"Release Me" by John Harris, The Guardian, July 17, 2004

"Mona Lisa & an Iguana on fifth" by Carolyn A. McDonough, on CultureArtMedia, September 1, 2017

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Source: https://itpcore1fall2017.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2017/09/07/the-work-of-art-in-the-age-of-mechanical-reproduction-by-walter-benjamin/

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