Task 2- Benjamin & Mechanical Reproduction

Read the Walter Benjamin's essay 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction'. Write a 300 word analysis of one work of Graphic Design, that you think relates to the themes of the text, and employing quotes, concepts and terminology from the text.

The most important part of this essay understands that in Benjamin’s mind art has an aura, a soul when it is first created. In creation is gains depth, meaning and is special. 

Ever since man has existed inventing things has been the great success to survival and growing as a race. The brain is the most powerful tool known to man. From this over the years technology has changed the way we live and most importantly to this essay, the way we consume art. Benjamin asks the question what makes art truly art?

Benjamin begins by explaining Marx’s involvement in Capitalism theory, which shows through in his essay. The understanding that art has always been reproducible but technology offers an exact copy to be made and sold. He then goes on to say that art is always

Technology changes art in two ways, the first that the reproduction can have added detail that was not a part of the original. The second is that the content reaches from where the original is/was (see the quote below). Space and time are a massive factor of how people interoperate art.

Above all, it enables the original to meet the beholder halfway.

Section II lines 8-9

Humans are flawed and us recording events, moments and feelings means the decaying of the Aura as the original desired meaning changes with time and generations.

To pry an object from its shell, to destroy its aura, is the mark of a perception whose “sense of the universal equality of things” has increased to such a degree that it extracts it even from a unique object by means of reproduction.

Section III lines 10-12

Marx argues that as soon as the authenticity is lost, art’s function is transformed. Humans are vastly different so summons’ beauty is someone else’s ugly and disturbing. This changes the purpose of art and means that today art is made solely for mass production. He focuses on arts purpose and states he believes there are two types of art, cult or exhibitioner value, either of these changes the reasoning behind creating the art and have an impact on the work itself.

Although Marx’s theory seems to shun technology he admits that it has opened up art to the masses and although the meaning and interpretation may have changed, art is now available to anyone, but just the few.