-Can art be mechanically reproduced?
Before photography, art was created through woodcuts, engravings, etchings, and lithography. These methods allowed for multiple 'copies' to be created, although no two were exactly the same. The reproduction of art may take away from the actual experience of it – the 'aura'. This 'aura', Walter Benjamin claims, “ is tied to his presence; there can be no replica of it” (8). Therefore, while a piece of art may be reproduced mechanically, its presence, its 'aura', Benjamin argues, can be felt with its original alone, and “is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity” (5), with manual reproduction being considered a 'forgery' by Benjamin.
-When something is reproduced for so many times, is that art?
Walter Benjamin states: “The situations into which the product of mechanical reproduction can be brought may not touch the actual work of art, yet the quality of its presence is always depreciated” (3). Artworks, such as Da Vinci's 'Mona Lisa' are so over reproduced, that the value of the work goes down. People want to see the piece just to say that they have seen it, but does it mean anything anymore? It is on mugs, notebooks, purses, prints big and small, in history books, key chains, and other such non-art related items. However, reproduced art makes art affordable for the masses. Today, the “desire of contemporary masses to bring things “closer” spatially and humanly” (4) is strong. Benjamin says: “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 listener in his own particular situation, it reactivates the object reproduced. These two processes lead to a tremendous shattering of tradition... with both processes being intimately connected with the contemporary mass movements” (3).
-What is the importance of the mechanical reproducibility of the art?
The importance of mechanical reproduction is huge. Artwork that was once only available to viewers in a gallery or the piece owner, is now made available for viewing to the greater public. The ability to put images into newspapers, artwork into art books or history books, prints of popular works of art hanging in your home – is all possible with mechanical reproduction. Benjamin notes: “Every day the urge grows stronger to get hold of an object at very close range by way of its likeness, its reproduction. Unmistakably, reproduction as offered by picture magazines and newsreels differs from the image seen by the unarmed eye” (4). These reproductions may not have the same 'aura', or 'authority' as the original, but they are available and affordable to those who desire them.
-What was the impact on mechanical reproducibility on the society?
The mechanical reproducibility created a huge impact on the society simply by reducing the cost of materials that most people could not afford. The camera was one of the many examples that allowed most people to buy and use them conveniently due to the mechanical reproducibility. On the consumer’s point of view, this allowed them to buy/use most of the products that they could not afford before. Furthermore, on the producer’s point of view, this allowed them to pay minimum amount of money for the maximum amount of profits. The people that suffered from this event are the people that had skills to produce before the machines came out to take over their jobs. There are many examples and results caused by mechanical reproducibility. However, most of them are similar to one another and they all allow consumers to afford them with ease.
-Is photography art, or contribution to the art? Is it just a tool used by artists?
Photography is art. Photos give us the opportunity to capture images to allow us to see things in a different perspective than beyond what we look at in person. We might see things on pictures that we might have not noticed before. When we take pictures, we view things in many different angles, lighting, and lenses, which can make objects look completely different, depending on how you take the photo.
-How and why Henry Peach Robinson created "Fading Away" (1858)? What was the reason?
Henry Peach Robinson created "Fading Away" (1858) by combining 5 negatives together. He created this so that people can look at this picture and have an emotional connection towards a photograph. He's taking many photos and combining them to create a grand photo to create a really strong impact to show true feelings about a sad moment in a families life. Since there was no way in making photos larger during this time, by taking 5 photos and putting them all together will create one big photo. When joining the photos, where each photo comes together, you loose details in that area. But, the large photo that the 5 negatives make in the end, it portrays a huge impact on feelings and emotions
-Photography has impacted the world of art and influenced some changes in the area of accessibility to art. If mechanical reproduction created revolution, what is happening now with the digitalization?
Photography changed the history of art simply by allowing people with no skills be able to capture images and call it a piece of art. Before, the artist took very long time to create their work and the cost of their art works were a lot expensive. When the photography came out, there are few artists that really did their best to create a piece of art with their camera. However, because everyone can take a picture and call it an art, the price of their art piece and the respect towards their art piece weren’t as much as before.
Now, the digitalization is a bit different from the above example. I believe that it ‘sorta’ travels backwards in a sense that people now requires special skills to produce digital image and one can’t simply create a digital image simply by using ms paint. It requires lot of time and lot of practice to be able to actually produce something meaningful. I do know that the digitalization reduced the productivity on the ‘old school art’ works because of the scanners and high dpi printers. However, I still believe that this travels backwards because digital divide is the evidence of this digital revolution.
REFERENCES
Benjamin, Walter. "TheWork of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction Walter Benjamin (1935)." N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Feb 2011. <http://www.kpaulsen.com/WalterBenjamin.pdf>.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Bohemian Fine Art. 2 Feb., 2011. <http://www.bohemianfineart.com/>.
Bohemian Fine Art. 2 Feb., 2011. <http://www.bohemianfineart.com/>.
David Saffir Photography. 2 Feb., 2011. <http://web.me.com/davidsaffir/davidsaffir.com/Digital_Fine_Art_Reproduction,_Lighting_For_Photographers.html>.
Design Milk. 2 Feb., 2011. <http://design-milk.com/art-in-the-age-of-mechanical-reproduction-tote/>
George Walker. 2 Feb., 2011. <http://www3.sympatico.ca/george.walker/Web.Gallery/index.htm>
Great Masters Gallery. 2 Feb., 2011. <http://www.topofart.com/artists/Vincent_van_Gogh/art_reproduction/1101/Starry_Night.php>.
Mona Lisa Mania. 2 Feb., 2011. <http://www.monalisamania.com/artmain.htm>
ROBINSON, Henry Peach. "Fading Away." Web. 2 Feb 2011. <http://www.rleggat.com/photohistory/history/robinson.htm>.
The Warhol:. 2 Feb., 2011. <http://warholstore.com/d/shop/campbell-soup/andy-warhol-campbells-soup-i-chicken-noodle-1968-poster>
