2020 The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
The author, Walter Benjamin may have written The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction in 1936, but his words are still prevalent to the twenty first century. He mentions that there has been a change within the world of art due to the introduction of photography and film. Due to the ever expanding world of the technology as artforms, it has had a major impact on the art forms that we are most commonly exposed to in todays society. The point that Walter Benjamin brings attention to is the imact on technology on the viewers experience. He focuses more on the fact that film and photography take away from the aura that is often felt when with artforms other than technology produced ones. I think that the points that are brought up in his writing are interesting because of the huge influnce that is technology has in our lives.
After studying art history for two years now there is a trend within artwork that people often borrow from the ideas of those before them. Reproduction has always been apart of our lives even from the earliest cave paintings to carving pictures on stones. We now have transitioned in to a period of mechanical reproduction which Benjamin believes has taken away from tradition and culture that was involved when artforms where created before the increase in technologies role. I agree with some of his points on the impact of the new way of creating art. The role of technology has allowed the artists of today to be able to manipulate images to draw towards certain audiences and to translate to specific periods in time. But that in itself is an artform, the same as if a landscape painter was making specific choices on elements such as a tree. Benjamin believes to think that original works that were created without the influence of modern technology can be applied to a specific time period and it has a ritualistic aspect to it when the art was created.
One of the biggest points that stood out to me was the role of the viewer today compared to how it was before the introdution of technology. When reading the author had mentioned there was differences of experience from watching the film live with it uncut and raw compared to watching the actual film where decisions have been made by many people involved and technology. When watching the a film in a theater or in the comfort of your own home you are only experiencing and seeing the film through a manipulated version. From the camera movements, music choice, applied special effects, and the final cuts from an editior only allows us to see that film from the directed perspective. I see this as an artform similar to that of a painting because the that artist is making certain choices to direct the viewer expericence the film a particular way. The same goes for artisitic elements in a painting such as the artist directing the viewer to see things in a certian perspective. From the stand point of the author he believes that the technology stands in the way of having an expericence similar to one of without technology intervening. I dont believe that one is more important than another because they both are artisitic forms that should be valued in their own ways.
After studying art history for two years now there is a trend within artwork that people often borrow from the ideas of those before them. Reproduction has always been apart of our lives even from the earliest cave paintings to carving pictures on stones. We now have transitioned in to a period of mechanical reproduction which Benjamin believes has taken away from tradition and culture that was involved when artforms where created before the increase in technologies role. I agree with some of his points on the impact of the new way of creating art. The role of technology has allowed the artists of today to be able to manipulate images to draw towards certain audiences and to translate to specific periods in time. But that in itself is an artform, the same as if a landscape painter was making specific choices on elements such as a tree. Benjamin believes to think that original works that were created without the influence of modern technology can be applied to a specific time period and it has a ritualistic aspect to it when the art was created.
One of the biggest points that stood out to me was the role of the viewer today compared to how it was before the introdution of technology. When reading the author had mentioned there was differences of experience from watching the film live with it uncut and raw compared to watching the actual film where decisions have been made by many people involved and technology. When watching the a film in a theater or in the comfort of your own home you are only experiencing and seeing the film through a manipulated version. From the camera movements, music choice, applied special effects, and the final cuts from an editior only allows us to see that film from the directed perspective. I see this as an artform similar to that of a painting because the that artist is making certain choices to direct the viewer expericence the film a particular way. The same goes for artisitic elements in a painting such as the artist directing the viewer to see things in a certian perspective. From the stand point of the author he believes that the technology stands in the way of having an expericence similar to one of without technology intervening. I dont believe that one is more important than another because they both are artisitic forms that should be valued in their own ways.
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