¶ … Art Diminish in an Age of Mechanical Reproduction? Walter Benjamin believes that the aura of an original work of art diminishes in an age of mechanical reproduction because the work of art is decontextualized from its original context as a result of mass production. At first blush, Benjamin's argument seems very compelling. After all, few could argue that seeing a work of art in a majestic setting, like the Louvre, in and of itself a work of art provides an entire experience that simply cannot be captured in a reproduction tea-towel. However, what Benjamin's argument ignores is that people have rarely, if ever, been able to appreciate the context of an original work of art, anyway. Museums do not provide the context that the artist had when creating the artwork. Artists do not work in museums or art galleries. They work in locations, in studios, on the street. Furthermore, artists are very influenced by society and culture, in a way that cannot really be understood by people outside of that culture. Finally, artists bring their own personal experiences when they create works of art. Therefore, to assume that most pieces of art can be understood in the context intended by the artist seems...
However, looking at three examples of art, it becomes clear that context can be important, and that, at least for me, the mass reproduction of certain artwork has done nothing to reduce my desire to see the original.
Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction," Walter Benjamin attempts to describe how the advent of industrialization has changed the way art is produced, transmitted, and received, and the effect these changes have had on the notion of art itself. Benjamin's argument centers around the notion of a work's "aura," or "the unique appearance of a distance," meaning the unique, individual experience of a work in time and space
Industrial Revolution and Beyond It is difficult for anyone now alive to appreciate the radical changes that the Industrial Revolution brought to humanity. We imagine that we know what it was like before this shift in economics, in culture, in society: We think of farmers tilling fields and of their children piling hay into stacks for winter forage, or of trappers setting their snares for the soft-pelted animals of the
A favorite target for conspiracists today as well as in the past, a group of European intellectuals created the Order of the Illuminati in May 1776, in Bavaria, Germany, under the leadership of Adam Weishaupt (Atkins, 2002). In this regard, Stewart (2002) reports that, "The 'great' conspiracy organized in the last half of the eighteenth century through the efforts of a number of secret societies that were striving for
Size/Cooperative Learning & it's effects on participation Action Research Question Will cooperative learning have a significantly positive impact on smaller or larger classes? The purpose of this study was to investigate if cooperative learning will have a significantly positive impact on smaller or larger classes. In order to have valid results, I used both my largest and smallest classes as my sampling. I also incorporated a variety of teaching styles with cooperative
Color Purple- Film and Book The Color Purple is a deeply through-provoking and highly engrossing tale of three black women who use their personal strength to transform their lives. Alice Walker's work was published in 1982 and it inspired Steven Spielberg so much that he began working on its film version as soon as the novel won accolades for its brilliant storyline and powerful narrative. However the movie, though it
ethnological investigation and analysis, is centered on cultural and religious activity in a contemporary community situation. Essentially, the aim of this research was to observe various cultural and social behavior patterns as they pertain to religion and spirituality in society. Two faiths were observed over a period of time. A Western religious faith such as Catholicism was compared to an Eastern faith such as Buddhism. This topic was chosen for
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