The Work Of Art And The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction

In order to properly argue my point it is best to lay out the framework of Benjamin’s argument. Benjamin begins his essay, â€Å"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction† by briefly distinguishing his categories from traditional aesthetic values, those of â€Å"creativity and genius, eternal value and mystery† (Benjamin, 218). In contrast, he relates these tendencies to bourgeois and fascist ideologies and to the conditions, inevitably generated out of capitalism itself, which provoke â€Å"revolutionary demands in the politics of art† (217-8) Benjamin claims that in times past the role of art has been to provide a magical foundation for the cult. Here the artwork’s use value was located in its central position within ritual and religious tradition (223-4). A statue or idol conveyed a sense of authority, or magical power, which inhered in that particular historical artifact. The reproduction in mass of such an item would have been unthi nkable because it was a unique singularity, and it would lose its â€Å"aura†. He focuses on describing the objects aura, defining the aura as: We define the aura of the later as the unique phenomenon of a distance, however close it may be. If, while resting on a summer afternoon, you follow with your eyes a mountain range on the horizon or a branch which casts its shadow over you, you experience the aura of those mountains, of that branch (222-3). The term implies an atmosphere and a transcendent feeling that happens when you experience an object.Show MoreRelatedThe Work Of Art And The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction911 Words   |  4 PagesIn the piece â€Å"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,† Benjamin tackles the evolution of reproduction coinciding with the introduction advanced technologies; and how art, specifically film, has transformed since this introduction. He asserts that reproduction has now become part of the process in art because of mediums like film and photography, however their reliance on technology creates less authenticity among art forms due to less of the original art still be connected to the pieceRead MoreThe Work Of Art And The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction1180 Words   |  5 Pagesnew development in media that â€Å"will change our lives†. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, are all forms of mass media, but one could dispute that they are unnecessary to the development of society. Walter Benjamin argues in, â€Å"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,† that with reproducibility of images, submission towards the film increases thus a lack in the formation of one’s own opinions. Today, if asked, not many would protest the invention and rise of film, but according to Walter BenjaminRead MoreThe Work Of Art During The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction1057 Words   |  5 PagesIn The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction (1936), Walter Benjamin examines the mechanically reproduced art in relation to the practice of politics and shows a positive attitude toward the mechanical reproduction in modern age. In The Culture Industry (1944), Theodore Adorno and Max Horkheimer who belong to the Frankfurt School same like Benjamin (although some scholars distinguish Walter Benjamin from the Frankfurt School) criticize the contemporary popular culture as a ramificationRead MoreWalter Benjamin The Work of Art in the Age of M echanical Reproduction1450 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Ã¢â‚¬ËœThe Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’: how has the reproduction of images changed the development of art? Identify three works of your choice to support your argument. This essay will start from Walter Benjamin’s consideration about the impact of mechanical reproduction of art as revolutionizing its social function and will describe the noticeable validity of his theory in the contemporary world. By introducing three artworks that belong to different historical periods, namelyRead MoreThe Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin1263 Words   |  5 Pages While reading the article, â€Å"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction† by Walter Benjamin, it is clear to grasp the idea being portrayed. The author is determined to prove to his readers how the advancement of humanity has led to drastic changes in how we create and perceive artwork. Mechanical reproduction of a work of art, however, represents something new. Historically, it advanced intermittently and in leaps at long intervals, but with accelerated intensity. One of the questionsRead MoreReaction Essay on Movie â€Å"Shadow Magic† and Article â€Å"the Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction† by Walter Benjamin.965 Words   |  4 PagesAfter reading the article on The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin, it gives a lot of things to think about art these days and how it should be, whether the thinking of Walter Benjamin is relevant to our age of society these days is a different part of the story but how he interprets art in the article is a totally different thing, so let us view a bit about his article. â€Å"Our fine arts were developed, their types and uses were established, in times very differentRead MoreDada vs. Walter Benjamin: What Value Does Dada Have in Context of Walter Benjamins the Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction?3101 Words   |  13 Pages------------------------------------------------- Unit 7. ------------------------------------------------- Dada Vs. Walter Benjamin: What value does Dada have in context of Walter Benjamins The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction? ------------------------------------------------- Martin Hannon ------------------------------------------------- Martin Newth ------------------------------------------------- B.A. Photography, Year 2. ------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------Read MoreRelationship between Mechanical Reproduction, Art and Culture754 Words   |  4 Pagesbe reflected in different forms of art because the marxist school believes that everything in a society is based on the current modes of production. A change to the mode of production will bring change to politics, law, philosophy, religion, and art. Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno and Walter Benjamin are three of the most notable critics of Marxism. They write about the production of cultural subject in capitalist societies, agreeing that reproduction of art has drastically changed due to mechanizationRead MoreReaction Of Walter Benjamin And The Film Shadow Magic 915 Words   |  4 Pagessaying: the technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the domain of tradition. By making many reproductions it substitutes a plurality of copies for a unique existence. And in permitting the reproduction to meet the beholder or liste ner in his own particular situation, it reactivates the object reproduced.† - Walter Benjamin, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (1936) Benjamin is saying that reproductions reduce the integrity of the art because the product is no The Work Of Art And The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction In the piece â€Å"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,† Benjamin tackles the evolution of reproduction coinciding with the introduction advanced technologies; and how art, specifically film, has transformed since this introduction. He asserts that reproduction has now become part of the process in art because of mediums like film and photography, however their reliance on technology creates less authenticity among art forms due to less of the original art still be connected to the piece. While the authenticity starts to decrease, the number of people who are able to individually experience the art increases because of technologies that are able to mass produce art. This creates his ideas of auras, which are the unique connection between the object of art being experienced and the person experiencing it. However, these objects that are desired to be experienced are sometimes only because of what Benjamin refers to as the â€Å"ritual† they have, or his tory. Benjamin claims that technology separates itself from this idea, creating a medium where reproduction is part of the underlying goal for the work to be successful. This success creates the reception Benjamin breaks down into two different values: cult value and exhibition value. Exhibition value he describes as what the art is valued at when in a public setting, however cult value is the value assigned to art that is not available for the general public to see. Technological reproduction now plays a larger part inShow MoreRelatedThe Work Of Art And The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction1320 Words   |  6 Pageshis essay, â€Å"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction† by briefly distinguishing his categories from traditional aesthetic values, those of â€Å"creativity and genius, eternal value and mystery† (Benjamin, 218). In contrast, he relates these tendencies to bourgeois and fascist ideologies and to the conditions, inevitably generated out of cap italism itself, which provoke â€Å"revolutionary demands in the politics of art† (217-8) Benjamin claims that in times past the role of art has been to provideRead MoreThe Work Of Art And The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction1180 Words   |  5 Pagesnew development in media that â€Å"will change our lives†. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, are all forms of mass media, but one could dispute that they are unnecessary to the development of society. Walter Benjamin argues in, â€Å"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,† that with reproducibility of images, submission towards the film increases thus a lack in the formation of one’s own opinions. Today, if asked, not many would protest the invention and rise of film, but according to Walter BenjaminRead MoreThe Work Of Art During The Age Of Mechanical Reproduction1057 Words   |  5 PagesIn The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction (1936), Walter Benjamin examines the mechanically reproduced art in relation to the practice of politics and shows a positive attitude toward the mechanical reproduction in modern age. In The Culture Industry (1944), Theodore Adorno and Max Horkheimer who belong to the Frankfurt School same like Benjamin (although some scholars distinguish Walter Benjamin from the Frankfurt School) criticize the contemporary popular culture as a ramificationRead MoreWalter Benjamin The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction1450 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿Ã¢â‚¬ËœThe Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’: how has the reproduction of images changed the development of art? Identify three works of your choice to support your argument. This essay will start from Walter Benjamin’s consideration about the impact of mechanical reproduction of art as revolutionizing its social function and will describe the noticeable validity of his theory in the contemporary world. By introducing three artworks that belong to different historical periods, namelyRead MoreThe Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin1263 Words   |  5 Pages While reading the article, â€Å"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction† by Walter Benjamin, it is clear to grasp the idea being portrayed. The author is determined to prove to his readers how the advancement of humanity has led to drastic changes in how we create and perceive artwork. Mechanical reproduction of a work of art, however, represents something new. Historically, it advanced intermittently and in leaps at long intervals, but with accelerated intensity. One of the questionsRead MoreReaction Essay on Movie â€Å"Shadow Magic† and Article â€Å"the Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction† by Walter Benjamin.965 Words   |  4 PagesAfter reading the article on The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin, it gives a lot of things to think about art these days and how it should be, whether the thinking of Walter Benjamin is relevant to our age of society these days is a different part of the story but how he interprets art in the article is a totally different thing, so let us view a bit about his article. â€Å"Our fine arts were developed, their types and uses were established, in times very differentRead MoreDada vs. Walter Benjamin: What Value Does Dada Have in Context of Walter Benjamins the Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction?3101 Words   |  13 Pages------------------------------------------------- Unit 7. ------------------------------------------------- Dada Vs. Walter Benjamin: What value does Dada have in context of Walter Benjamins The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction? ------------------------------------------------- Martin Hannon ------------------------------------------------- Martin Newth ------------------------------------------------- B.A. Photography, Year 2. ------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------Read MoreRelationship between Mechanical Reproduction, Art and Culture754 Words   |  4 Pagesbe reflected in different forms of art because the marxist school believes that everything in a society is based on the current modes of production. A change to the mode of production will bring change to politics, law, philosophy, religion, and art. Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno and Walter Benjamin are three of the most notable critics of Marxism. They write about the production of cultural subject in capitalist societies, agreeing that reproduction of art has drastically changed due to mechanizationRead MoreReaction Of Walter Benjamin And The Film Shadow Magic 915 Words   |  4 Pagessaying: the technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the domain of tradition. By making many reproductions it substitutes a plurality of copies for a unique existence. And in permitting the reproduction to meet the beholder or liste ner in his own particular situation, it reactivates the object reproduced.† - Walter Benjamin, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (1936) Benjamin is saying that reproductions reduce the integrity of the art because the product is no