WALTER BENJAMIN Tluminations Eprrep AND WwiTHt AN ivrzopuction ay HANNAH ARENDT. SCHOCKEN BOOKS + NEW YORK (%SsP.0e SEP-12-2009 02842 + The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Our fine ars were developed, their types and uses were etab- Usted, in ties very diferent from the present, by men whore Donser of action upon thingy sss nigricans i Comparison tit ars. Bu tbe amazing growth of our techniques, be adap Sd precision they bows atin, the ideutand bobs bey a resing, mate ia corainty thc profound change ee pending ‘the tiem eat of the Bena. all te os te re Physical component which can o longer be considered or treated fs i wed to be, which cannot remain unofcced by our modern Ionowledge and power. For the last scenty years nether matter nor space nor tne bar been ‘abet i sar from time onemeri We mast expect greet iovations to transform the tne tech: sigue of the ars, thereby afecting erisic vention se ord tp con brining sb em eming cane nar ey ox Paul Vali, mices sox vam, “Le Congoewe de Fabieie" Pris ‘When Marx undertook his erigue of the capicalitc mode of production, this mode was in is infancy. Mare directed his ‘efforts in such a way a5 to give them prognostic value. He went buck to the basie conditions underlying capitalise production and through his presentation showed what could be expected of capitalism inthe Fuare. The result was that one could expect it ‘not only to explo the proletariat with increasing intensity, but ‘ukimately to create conditions which would mae it pose to abolish capitalism itself ‘The transformation of the superstrucrure, which takes place + Quoted fom rol Vay, desi, “The : gels i ncn Ponies Bsa Bg seP.OS SEP-12-2009 02842 nintons far more slowly than that of the substrucrore, has taken mare than half a century to manifest in al ares of culture the change in the conditions of production. Only today can it be indicated ‘what form this has taken. Certain progaostic requirements should bbe met by these statements. However, theses about the are of the prolearit after its assumption of power or about the art of classless society would have less bearing on these demands than theses about the developmental tendencies of art under present conditions of production. Their dialectic is no less noticeable in the superstructure than in the economy. It would therefore be wrong to underestimate the value of Such theses a¢ a Weapon, They brush aside a number of outmoded concepts, sich as crea~ tivity and genius, eternal value and mystery-concepts whose ‘uncontrolled (and ar present almost uncontrollable) application ‘would lead to 2 processing of dats in the Fascist sense. ‘The con- cepes which are introduced into the theory of art in what follows differ from the more familiar terms in that they are completely useless forthe purposes of Fascisn. They are, on the other hand, ‘wseful for the formulation of revolutionary demands in the polis ties of art 1m principle a work of are has always been reproducible. Man- ‘made artifacts could always be imitated by men, Replicas were ‘made by pupils in practice of their craft, by masters for difwsing ‘heir works, and, finally, by third parties in the pursuit of gain ‘Mechanical reproduction of a work of art, however, represents something nev. Historically, it advanced intermittently. and ia Ieaps at long intervals, but with accelerated intensity. The Greeks knew only two procedures of technically reproducing Works of art: founding and stamping. Bronzes, terra cotas, and coins were the only art works which they cotld produce in quantity. All others were unigue and could not be mechanically reproduced With the woodcut graphic are became mechanically reproducible for the frst time, long before script became reproducible by print. The enormous changes which printing, the mechanical a The Work of Artin te Age of Mechel Reprosucton production of writing, has brought sboat in literstore are ¢ familias story. However, within the phenomenon which we are here examining from the perspective of worl! history, prin is merely a spec, though paricclrly importn, case, Dung the Midale Ages engraving snd ceching were added to the woodcut; 2 the begining of the nineteenth centry Ihogeepiy mde its appearance Pvith lithography the technique of reproduction reached an esenclly new sage. This much more cect process was di Eingished by the racing of the design on a stone rather thn ity Inesion on 4 block of wood or its etching ona copperplate and permiced graphic at forthe fst time to put is prods on the Iarket, not only in large nambers as hitherto, but aso in daily changing forms. Lithography enabled graphic ar to ilutate cverydey life, and it begon co keep pace with printing. But only 2 few decades after its invention lithography was surpased bY leterphy For the ie time n the proces of petal repro ction, photography Freed the hand ofthe most important a= {istic futons which henceforth devolved only upon the eye looking ino a lens. Since the eye pereives more swiftly than the hand ean draw, the proces Of pictorial Teprodision War ave: ated so enormously that i could ep pace with speceh. A fm peretor shooting sene inthe dio crprures the mages a the speed of an actor's speech. Justa lithography virally implied the ilstrated newspaper, so did photography foreshadow the sound film The techateal reproduction of sound was tacked +t the end of the lst century. These convergent-endeavors made predicmble a svstion which Poul Vary pointed up in this some fence: “Jas as water, ge and electricity are brought into our houses fom fr off co sly our needs in response to 2 iin efor, soe shall be supplied ‘with visual of aucitory mages Which wil appear and'clappear at a simple movemene of she hand, hardly more than sign” (oP cit, p. 126). Around goa technical reproduction had reached a standard that oe only per mitted ic t0 reprodace al transmitted works of are and this to ‘aus the most profound change in their impact upon the publ, ic abo had eaprured a place of fs own among the arse pros,P.Oe SEP-12-2009 02842 Mienintone ceses. For the study of this standard nothing is more revealing thao the nature of the repercussions thar these two different ‘manifestations—the reproduction of works of art and the art of the ilm—have had on att in its traditional form, the most perfect reprodvetion of a work of artis ack ing in one clement: its presence in, tine and space, its_wnique existence at the place where it happens to be. This iniqae ex fence of the work of art determined the history to which i was subject throughout the time of its existence. ‘This includes the cchanges which it may have suffered in physical condition over ‘the years as well as the various changes in its ownership. The ‘aces of the first can be revealed only by chemical or physical analyses which it is impossible to perfoim on a reproduction; ‘changes of ownership ate subject to a tradition which must be ‘raced from the situation of the original. ‘The presence of the original is the prerequisite to the con- ‘pt of authenticity. Chemical analyses of the patina of 3 bronze in help to establish this, a5 does the proof chat @ given mani script of the Middle Ages stems from an archive of the fifteenth, ‘century. The whole sphere of authenticity is outside technical nd, of course, not only technical~reproducibilty.» Confronted ‘with its manual reproduction, which was ually branded as a forgery, the original preserved all its authority, not so ois @ vis ‘echnical reproduction. The reason is twofold. First, process re | Production is more independent of the original than manual re- production’ For example, in photography, process reproduction an bring out those aspects of the original that are unattainable \ to the naked eye yer accessible to the lens, which is adjustable \ and chooses its angle at will. And photographic reproduction, with the aid of certain processes, such as enlargement or slow , Motion, can capture images which escepe naturel vision, See- { cndly, technical reproduction can put the copy of the original | into siuations which would be out of seach for the original itself. Above all, it enables the original to meet the beholder halfway, ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanica! Reproduction be it in the form of a photograph or a phonograph record, The thecal leaves is locale to be received in the studio of a lover of art; the choral production, performed inn auditorium or in the open air, resounds in the drawing room. “The situations into which the product of mechanical repro- duction can be brought may not touch the actual work of art, yet the quality ofits presence is always depreciated, This holds not only for the art work but also, for instance, for a landseape which passes in review before the spectator in'a movie. In the case of the arr chjecr, 2 most sensitive nucleus—namely, ite a0 ‘thentcity—is interfered with whereas no natural object is rulner- able on that score. The authenticity of a thing is the essence of sll that is transmisiible from its beginning, ranging from its sub- stantive duration to its testimony to the history which it has ex pperienced. Since the historical testimony rests on the authenticity, the former, co, is jeopardized by reproduction when substantive duration ceases to matter. And what is really jeopardized when the historical testimony is effeetéd is the authority of the object ‘One might subsume the eliminated element in the term “aura” and go on to say: that which withers in the age of mechanical Teprodoction ithe aura of the work af are This» 3m Tate proces whose significance points beyond te ealke oa ‘One might generalize by saying. the technique of reproduction dEtaches the seproduced objet from the donain of eedcon, By faking many feprodactons sabes play of cop fora nique exitence. And in penning te reproducing to mee the beholder or tener in his own’ parce sttion, reactivates the object reproduced. /These to processes lead to 4 tuemendovs shattering of tadiion which & te obverse of the ontemporicy cts and renewal of mankind Both process ne Intmatly comected with she contemporty mast moveneac Theis mow povrestl agents ic fm Ie socal sprifcance, toe tically in ies most postive form, & inconeciable witook to destructive, extarl spect, that the ligldatin of the sade Binal val of the cll herige "This phonomcnon is ses palpable inthe grit histori ng Te exten to over neve peak fons In igty Abel Gance exelimed entnwiatcaly. “Sigh:‘P.0B SEP-12-2009 02842 honinsions speare, Rembrandt, Beethoven will make fils... ll legends, sll mythologies and all myths, all founders of religion, and the very religions . . » awaie their exposed resurrection, and the heroes crowd each other at the gate.”* Presumably withoot intending it, he issued an invitation to 2 far-reaching liquidation. Dating Jog pride of hon the mode of human sense p= ception changes with humaniys entre mode of exiene, The ‘Blom in which human sense peteepon i organize te me> dium in whch ic is accomplishes determined not oly by mae tute tut by historeal ercumsances 4 well The Rh cena, With great fs of populadea saw the birth of the late Ro- Thun art insry ad the, Vienna Gene and tere developed fot ouly an at diferent from hat of antquity but abo new Tind of perception ‘The scholars of the Viennese schoo, Reg and Wikboth who rested the weight of casia. radon ner which these ter artform had een bores, were che fst {o draw conchios ftom them concerning the orpniation of Prcepion athe ne However freaking their sgh, Sse [hours lintedthemoches to showing the ining formal Talim which characterized perespoea in le Roman ines "They ed not atempe-and,peapy srw 0 way show the socal transormacon exposed by thee changer of pereption. “The condone for an snslogous sight ae more favorable fn the prsens And if change in the men of comempoary percep Eon ean be comprehended as decay of the aur ts pole fo show its social causes, ~ "The concept of ure which was proposed above with refer ace to hortal object may oeflly be iat with afer ce tothe ars of mata ons We defn the sor of the ater the mages phomomcron of = dstnce, weer Gwe i iy be, If wile fering ons suaner afternoon, you follow Wit Abel Gane, "Le Temps de Timige vena? LAr cintmatogranbe fue, Nok Sepp 948 Patong eee he Work fA i th eof Mace Reon yor eyes + moana range on the horizon or a branch which ee Oe donrance yo you experience che aura of tort nn of thc branch, Ts amage makes easy to compe> © Fost ei bse af the coermporary desy of the aut Te no ano heomance both o which ae felted othe ie Su Spun of he meses in cncemporry fe Navel Sen Sey crc porary mane to bring ings “int” sped tilly and humanly, which is just as ardent as their bent toward] ears pipe wagueen of very reat by sseping Fe § oT aa charge proms svonger to ge old of! Fe Eee a range Mf yas ken repre: See UEALGuy: epeclucion offered by plcre mage SEE sad nated efes frm the inage sso y the uname TS Gngucncs and penance ae ay covey Hike inthe eae rts und reproducbiity ta the former. To | By an abjec rom ts hel co cso iss, the mark ofa | EY Sho whose "eer of cre universal equity of ings has | ereeed to mck a dgice tienes ees from suigae | Ue by enn of tebrducrion Tho # manifested inthe eld etiereepion wha inthe theoreti spheres noucebl a the clean imporance of asain The adjunct of realty £0 the mands and of the mane to realty nu proce of selimied ‘eopetas neh for thinking for percep : The uniqueness of « work of artis inseparable from its being Jmbedded in the fabric of tradition, This tradition itself is thor- ‘oughly alive and extremely changeable. An ancient statue of ‘Vers, for example, stood in a diflerent traditional context with the Greeks, who made it an object of veneration, than with the clerics of the Middle Ages, who viewed it as an ominous idol, Both of them, however, were equally confronted with its unique- ness, that i, is aura, Originally the contextua! integration of art in eradition found its expression in the cult. We know that the earliest are works originated in the service of ritoal—fist che ‘magical, then the religious kind. Ic is significant that the existence aP.O SEP-12-2009 Q2842. eninatons ofthe work of art with reference to is aura is never entirely fcparited from is situa fonction’ In ker words, the unique faloe ofthe “tuchenic™ work of rt ha te bs a nl She location of fis orginal ye vlue, This skuliie bas, however remot stl ecognble x seelarned ritual even i tho most profane forme ofthe eat of Beauty? The secular eu of bextry, Txveloped during the Renaisance and prevalng fr three en: tures, cleanly showed tha ctuasic ics ints decine and the first deep ents which befell i With the advent of the fist uly revoliteary means Of reproduction, photography, scans ‘ily with te ne of wcabon, ae oweed che oppreiching eras sich hae become evident a century later At toe tine, ar Te tote withthe doctrine of Fart pour Pert, that, with a helogy tf ae Ths gve sto wha ah beclled + sogae thelogy inthe form of the sen of «pure at which not only dened ny social fonction of ae bu ako any eatgorning by sbjece mate {in poetry, Malt ws the fs to take this positon) Aes of arin he age of mechanical reproduction mst do jase to thee relish, for they les ws to an alinpor tant ings for the fr nein wor Rory, mechanical te prodectn cnmipsc the ork of ar fre fe pro de Penden on tul'To an ever peter depres Ge Work of ar Feproduced becomes the work of ot designed for reproduc igyiEtom « photopepic nope, for example one can make any numberof prints to ask for the “athena” pit makes no sexe Butte int the criterion of athemicty eens be toplicable o arte reduction the stl fancaon of at te tetsed.fsead of being based on rita, it begins to be based on outer pects Works of art are received and valued on different planes. ‘Two polar types stand out: with one, the accent is on the cule value; with the other, on the exhibition value of the work.® Ar- tise’ production begins with ceremonial objects destined. t0 serve in a cult. One may assume that what mattered was their Tbe Work fA i te Age of Meche Rpotcon existence ot their being on view. The ek portrayed by the man, tr eke Sone Age onthe wall of hs eave ws absent of tmpi le id Scone ec felow me, bur ia the in wat mnetn for the spe: Tolay the cle tate woud seem 0 de tnd ht eh Work of are oa Hidde. Cerin soe of gods tre accosible onl tothe pro in the cally eran Madonnas Fermin covered aly all eer Found; cera cuptres om mes Siva eather ateavible w the spectrom round lvl, With the enancpron ef te vaout ar prices from neal go inctessng opporunies for the exhibition of ter prodace Broce Thane porn toe tht xa be oot hen ther tan to ei ME sate of a ity at hes Bad Place inthe interior ofa empl ‘The same hls for the ping gai the mos orfecs ha preceded te And even hog the publi peenabily of «ms orignaly may have been Jt ts pier wat ofa paphoay de ier orghated she os Inet hen is publ promesliny promised ouput tat of hema With the diferent methods of technical reproduction of + work af ais nes for exnbiuen increased © cha eet That the quindadwe Wilt beeen le tvo pole tamed ons thaliave qansformadon offs nature Ths & compare tothe Toston of the work of art pehisoic tines when, by he] fbolre np on scl vale wean forenea | Inseam of mage, Only ner id cone to be recognize | a work of art. In the same way today, by the absolute emphasis oa is exhiicin value the work of art becomes a ean with tna te fincdons, among which the one we ae concious Of hears fonction, tray be recogzed ts octdenal ‘This machi eras today phocoprphy snd the Bi te he mr ervicebl expres of spew faneson, In photography, exhibition value begins to displace cult value au abng het Bcc te does So ge way wits Sane! ies ito an late recedes he Boman | asSEP-12-2009 02842 Moninsions | countenance. Ie is no accident that the portst wos the focal | pone of easly photgrapy. The elt of Femenbrance of loved ne, absent or ead offer alt cefoge forthe elt value ofthe plete. Forth st se the are emanates fom te eatly pos {ogrephs in the fleeting expresion of human face. This What onsutues thet melancholy, incomparable benuey. But as man Svithdeaws frm the photogziphiciage he etbon vale for the fie time shows tw seniority to the stal value To have Pingeined thisnew sage eonsites te incomparsblesigigeance of Arges, who, around i920, ook photographs of destted Pars see It ho qe jy bean sid of fon cate pootograped {hem ike Scenes of eine. The scene of a erie, tobe deserted; icis photographed for te purpose ofeabihing evidence, With Arges, photographs become standard evidence for historical oc. courrenees, and acquire + hidden polical significance, They de. rand a specif Lind of approach fre-foatng contempleion i or spproprteco them ary st he viewer, he fds calenged by them ina new way. Ar the same ime pitureamigannes be- si Co pot up signposts for him, right one or stone ony no Imtter. For the fins ume, captions have become cblignry. And Jes clar that they have an akogether deren: characte than the tide of a painting The diveetivs which the captions ge «0 thos looking a pitue in iltated magezines Soon become sen mare expe and more imperative in the fm where the ‘meaning ofeach single picere sppeas to be prescribed by the sence ofall preceding one- ‘The nineteenth-century dispute as to the attisie value of painting versus photography today seems devious and confused ‘This does not diminish its importance, however; if anything, it underlines it. The dispute was in fact the symprom of 2 histo cal eansformation the universal impact of which was not feck ized by eiher of the rivals, When the age of mechanical repro doction separated art from its basis in cule che semblance of ts ‘autonomy disappeared forever. The resulting change in the Func The Work of Ari th aso Macs! Radon tin fae crascended the perspective ofthe century or ong time ie even eeaped thas of the tenth cetry, Which ek Peleneed the development ofthe im alr mach fade thou fad betn devoted co the question 6 of ‘whether phoogtephy ie an are The amy. qsion Whether the very vention of potogaphy Ned nr tufonied the ence nature of twas tr raked Gane shed the som theories of the film. Abel Gance, for instance, compares the fil 5 leit iter by = seman, we ae catch lero epee pans" Se guage hae oe er dns Se es ave at Yecadted fof The nang rope for ul Setar cic" Oe in be wee of Se Mate "hac a hsbc rane re or pel od oe rel nme te posed ti aon eA ia repent ncomparbe eas of ere Oye test hghspinded pent inthe mon poser an agro omen ofa beloved ees ioe ‘Men Amer cine nan Sate ee a wi the qo: “Do neath depen we tare fre mai oe ban of pope TE ree fe tow the dearer te insane are face thse hee 0 dite Gens es ag ik of den, Yer when hee gslionsweepnel snes LOpnen pubes Fe Geld Ru sey “pend Tha howe it hab Gee roe ak gstig ioe for pp of aor nz See Mas fom sping of te Ans oe ifr pak’ eas by Fa Ange. chancery en fey ewes shor ge th fim» Srna Spee i a “fuel sos ‘tine aarti an hm an‘P08 SEP-12-2009° 02842 aninstione courtighe stered one, then at least a supernatural one. Commenting fon Max Reinhardt’s film version of A Midswommer Night's Drea, Werfl states that undoubtedly ie was the sterile copying of the exterior world with its streets, interiors, railroad stations, restaurants, motorcars, and beaches which until now tad ob- structed the elevation of the film to the realm of art, “The film has not yet realized its rue meaning, its real posites... these consis in its unique faculty to express by natural means and with incomparable persuaiveness all chat is fairylike, marvelous, super natura.” * ‘The artistic performance of a suge actor is definitely pre- sented to the public by the actor in person; that of the screen actor, however, is presented by 4 camera, with e twofold conse- {quence. The camera that presents the performance of the film actor to the public need not respect the performance a5 an in- tegeal whole. Guided by the cameraman, the camera continually cchanges its position with respect to the performance, The se- quence of positional views which the editor composes from the rmaterial supplied him constitutes the completed film. Te com prises certain factors of movement which are in reality those of ‘the camera, not to mention special camera angles, close-ups, etc. Hence, the performance of the actor is subjected co a series off optical ets: This is the fire consequence of the fact that the actor's performance is presented by means of a eamers. “Also, the film actor lacks the opportunity of the stage actor to adjust to the audience during his performance, since he does not present his performance to the audience in person. This permits the audi- ‘ence to take the position of a ertie, without experiencing any personal contact with the actor.,The audience's identification ‘with the actor is really an identification with the camera. Conse- quently the audience takes the position of the camera; its ap- * Frant Werfe, “Ein Sommemachsesum, Bin Film von Shakespeare ‘ued Relaande” News Wiener Joa, ced i Lu 33, Novembet, 93 ‘The Work of Ars the Age of Mechacal Reproduction proach is that of resting.* This is not the approzch to which eult values may be exposed. For the film, what matters primarily is that the actor repre- sents himself to the public before the camera, rather than repre senting someone else. One of the first to sense the actor's meta rmorphosis by this form of testing was Pirandello. ‘Though his remarks on the subject in his novel Si Gira were limited to the negative aspects of the question and to the silent flm only, this hardly impairs their validity. For in this respect, che sound film did not change anything exential. Whar matters is that the part Js acted not for an audience but for a mechanical contrivance— in the case of the sound film, for two of them. “The film actor’ ‘wrote Pirsndello, “feels as if in exile—esiled not only from the stage but also from himself. With « vague sense of discomfort he feels inexplicable emptiness: his body loses its corporeaity, ic evaporates, itis deprived of reality, life, voice, and the noises caused by his moving about, in order to be changed into a mute image, flickering an instant on the sereen, then vanishing into silence. ... The projector will play with his shadow before the ad he himself must be content to play before the cam- This situation might also be characterized as follows: for ‘the fist cime—and this is the effect of the film-mnn has to op- crate with his whole living person, yer forgoing its aura. For aura is tied to his presence; there can be no replice of it. The aura which, on the stage, emanates from Macbeth, cannot be separated for the spectators from that of the actor. However, the _ singularity of the shot in the studio is that the camera is substi= tuted for the public. Consequently, the aura that envelops the actor vanishes, and with it the aura of the figure he portrays Tes not surprising that it should be # dramatise such as Piran- dello who, in characterizing the film, inadvertently touches on. the very criss in which we see the theater. Any thorough seudy “ales Prandtl, Gira, quod by Léon Pie Quin, “Sipifsion tn cathe? Lies Catmeepepiipe ees pete “9P.O SEP-12-2009 02842 imintons proves that there is indeed no greater contrast chan that of the stage phy to a work of att that is completely subject to or, like the film, founded in, mechanical reproduction. Experts have long recognized that in the film “the greates: effect: are almost always. obtained by ‘acting’ a litte ar possible. ...” In 1932 Rudolf ‘Arnheim stw "the latest trend «in treating the actor asa stage prop chosen for its characteristics and . .. inserted atthe proper place.” "! With this idea something else is closely connected. The Stage actor identifies himself with the character of his role. The film actor very often is denied this opportunity. His creation is bby no means all of » piece; itis composed of many separate per= formance. Besides certain foreuitous considerations, such a8 Cost cof studio, availability of fellow players, décor, ete, there are elementary necessities of equipment that split the actor's work into a series of mountable episodes. In particular, lighting and its ‘ngallation require the presentation of an event that, on the sereen, unfolds at a rapid and unified seene, in a sequence of separate shoocings which may take hours at the studio; not to mention more obvious montage. Thus a jump fom the window can be shot in the studio as a jump from a seaffold, and the en- suing fighs, if need be, can be shot weeks later when outdoor scenes are taken, Far more paradoxical eases can easily be con- strued. Let us assume that an actor is sopposed co be startled by a knock at the door. If his resetion is nor satisfactory, the di rector can resort to an expedient: when the actor happens to be at the studio again he has 2 shot fired behind him without his being forewarned of it. The frightened reaction can be shot now and be cut into the screen version. Nothing more strikingly shows that art has left the realm of che “beautiful semblance” which, so far, had been taken to be the only sphere where art could thrive. ‘The feeling of serangeness that overcomes the actor before the camera, as Pirandello describes i, is basically of the same kind as the estrangement felt before one's own image in the mitcor. a0 The Wek of Ar the dg of Mace Reroucton Bur now the reflected image has become separable tensporabe And where ist wunspored? Before the publics” Never fora tmomene docs the sect actor ces tbe bonscows of tis fact While facing the camera he lnows tat lately be-wil face the pee he consumers who consitae the arts This mare tet here he offers nor only his aor but abo his wholes is etre and sou beyond Ios tach, During te shooting hat ts lide conett with te any ack made ia foeory. Ths may Contribs to that eppresion, that new ante which according to Pandelo, ripe te attr before the camer, The ln te: Sponds tothe shrivel of the ars with an arial bullhup of Te spersonaey” ouste the odie. The cut of the move star Foxceed by the money of the film indwsay, preserves not the ‘igque 2s ofthe pen but the “spell of he personality” the Pony spel of commodity. So long asthe moviesmaker cape [else the fashion, o rules other Fevelusoary merit ean be tccredied to tose’ fm than te promodon of evaonny Stan of aditveal cnceps Of are: We do not Geny tat ik Sime ee today’s fms can ss promote revolutionary cits Of social condtdons, even of the duibuon of propery. How rer, out present sy b no more specially concerned wih the than he fm prodecton of Western Europ, Tes inherent in the technige of the fly ap well a hat of spores tet everybody who wittess is socomplhrens is some ‘hut of an expe Tiss obvious co anyone leteniog to 4 group Of newspaper boys leaning on their Gyces and decusieg the cntcome of a bicycle suce I snot for nothing that newngaper publishers arrange races for their devery boss. Thee ewe rest irre evoog te price, for ie Peter has em op portuniy to nse fom delivery boy to profesional racer Ser Enyce newsreel oes everyone the cpporeumey fo te fom poserby to move era In Gis way af man Mh creh Bad NING fr of work a ars aten Vets Ties Sone Lomi Ween Bornage. Amy ran toa can ly cla 9 being filmed. This claim can bess by 2 comparative Wola th historical station of contemporary hrerstare or cenit a all amber of wltes were confronted by aSEP-12-2009 02842 Meninsone ‘many thowsand of readers. This changed toward the end ofthe Jase cencary. With the increasing extension of the pres, which Aspe plsing new political, eligoun scenic, profess local organs before the readers en incresing number of readers became wrtersat fist, occasional ones Te began with the dal press opening cits readers space for “leer te editor” And today there is hardly a gainfully employed Buropean who. could ‘in principle, dan ppc fo pubis sve of er comments on his work, grievances, documentary” "spore, or that sort of thing. Thus, the ditinction berween thor aa publiciea “The difference becomes ‘ecg Fonction r may sary from-cist To cae, Ac any mo. rent the zeader is ready tout int & write. As exper, which he fad to become willy-nilly in an extremely specinized work proces even if only in some minor respect, te render gain n= = (9 authorp. In the Soviet Union work self is given 8 Yoice, To present i verbally spare of « man's ability to perform the work, Literary license is now Founded on polytechae rather than specialized trinng and thus becomes common property ™ All this can exily be applied the film where wesiCons that in iterate took cents have come abou ina decade. Th lneiatie practice, pertcuarly in Rusia, tis changeover has Partly become esublshed realty, Some of the players whom ‘eit in Russian fis are noe actor im our ss but people ‘who portay themeler-and primarily in their own work proc: In Western Birope the cpinlitc exploitation of the fia denis consideration wo modem men's legitimate elim to being Feprodiced. Under these circumstances the fm indy eying tard to spr che imeres of the masts trough ilsion promoting spectacles and dobiou spctladons, ‘The shooting of afl, expecially ofa sound film, affords a spectacle unimaginable anywhere at any tne before the I pre sent proces in which it inpossble to asign eo» specetor 4 viewpoie which woold exclude fom the acta! scene such ‘The Work of Artin the Age of Mecheria! Reproduction cexerancous accesories as camera equipment, lighting machinery, Stal asitant, exe--unkes his eye were on a line parallel withthe Jens. This cicamsnce, more than any other, endets soper~ ficial and insignscane any possible similarity between a scene in the studio and one on the stage. Inthe theater one is well are of the place from which the play cannat immediately be de- tected a illsionary. There is 00 such place for che movie scene that is being shor es illusonsry marare is that of the second de~ gree, the sult of cutting. That isto sy, in the stadio the me-i Chanical equipment has penetrated so deeply into reality cae pie aspect fread from the foreign sabstance of equipment is the| fesult of « special procedure, namely, the shooting by the spe-| cially adjusted camera and the mounting of the shot together| With other similar once. The equipmenttree arpece of sealty| haere has become the height of arafce; che sight of immediate| realty bas become an orchid in the land of technology. Even more revealing i the comparison of these circumstances, ‘which differ so much from those ofthe theater, with the stua~ tion in printing. Here che question is: How does the cameraman compare with the painter? To answer this we take recourse to an analogy witha surgical operation. ‘The surgeon represents the polar opposite of the magicin. ‘The magician heals a sick person by the laying on of hands; the surgeon cuts into the patent's body. ‘The magician maintins the natral dixance berween the pasene and himself though he reduces & very slightly by the laying on of hands, he greatly increases it by viewoe of hs aur thority. The surgeon does exactly the reverse he greatly di ishes the distance between himeelt and the patient by penetrating into the patient's body, and increases i but litle by the caution ‘with which his hand moves among the organs. In short, in con- ‘rast to the magician—who is still hidden in dhe medial pract- tioner-the surgeon at the decisive moment abstins from facing the patent man to man; rather, ie through the opertion that he penetrates into him. Magician and surgeon compare to paimer and cameraman “The painter maintains in hi work natural distance from reality, the cameraman penetrates deeply into its web. There isa te. anSEP-12-2009 02842 Maoninations ‘mendous difference berween the pictures they obtain. That of the painter is a total one, that of the cameraman consists of multiple fragments which are assembled under a new law. Thus, for con- emporary man the representation of reality by the film is in- comparably more significant than that of the painter, since i offers, precisely because of che thoroughgoing permeation of realty with mechanical equipment, an aspect of reality which is freo of all equipment. And that i what one is entitled to ask from a work of art. Mechanical rprodvction of are changes the reseon of the anes toward st The tactonry artude toad Diese paindng changes into the propenvereacion wd «Chapin Toric “The popresive reaction i charted by the ees incinate fon f vial and emotonl cnjoyment wih bo tncaton ofthe exper, Sch fasion of gre sca signe ‘The greater the cree inte sell Sgafomcy sf Se fons, the super the dsinton between ensign and enjoyment By the pli, The conrenonal'S ureter enjoyed he rly ew i eiced wth averon, Wah ged os aces the er and he recopve artes of he pele clnlde Ts dechive reson forts’ tha individual rekon ae pedcten mine bythe mas audience epone they te abou produces tnd ths sowbere more proneanced tan in he fis eos tem these responses become manifs they conta cach eer ‘Again she comparion wih pang trial pain as aay had an tacelene chee to be viewed by one posta ee by + few. The sinstaneous comemplaton of julebes tye lage public, suc as developed in the nineteenth ents, aa eal Symptom of the cit of pining, rsa which a Oy 0 meine occsoned sche by peogeapy bs ee 1 eevelyindependene manner by tbe apa of art works to ‘he mses Pring simply i inno postin o present an obec ors nteaneoscalectve experience i ay porble os aes The Work of Are in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction ‘ore at all times, forthe epi poem in the past, and for the movie today. Although this circumstance in itself should not leed one to conclusions about the socal role of painting, it does constieue 2 serious threat as soon as painting, under special conditions and, as it were, against its nature, is confronted directly by the masses 4n the churches and monasteries of the Middle Ages and at the princely courts up to the end of the eighteenth century, 2 col lective reception of paintings did not oscur imultaneotsly, but by graduated and hierarchized mediation. The change that hus ‘come about is an expression of the particular confict in which painting was implicated by the mechanical reproducibly of pincngs. Alchough paintings began to be publiely exhibited in galleries and salons, there was no Way for the masses to orgenize sand control themselves in their reception Thus the same public which responds in a progressive manner toward a grotesque film is bound to respond in 2 reactionary manner to surrealism, The characteristics of the 6m lie not.only in the menner in sents himself to mechanical equipmene but. also in ‘which, by means of this apparatus, man_can rep- ent his eavizonment. A glance at occupational psychology iI- lstates the testing eapacity of the equipment, Psychoanalysis illustrates it in a different perspective. The film has ensiched out field of perception with methods which can be illustrated by those of Freudian theory. Fifey years ago, a slip of the tongue passed more or less unnoticed. Only exceptionally may such 4 slip have revealed dimensions of depth in a conversation which had seemed to be taking its course on the surface, Since the Psy- chopathology of Everyday Life things have changed. This book isolated and made analyzable things which had heretofore floated along unnoticed in the broad stream of perception. For the en- tire spectrum of optical, and now also acoustical, perception the film has brought about a similar deepening of apperception. Te is only an obverse of this fact that behavior items shown in a movie can be analyzed much mote precisely and from more asSEP-12-2009 02843. Meinationt points of view than those presented on paintings or on the stage. ‘As compared with painting, filmed behavior lends itself more readily 0 analysis because of its incomparsbly more precise statements of the situation. In comparison with the stage scene, the filmed behavior item lends itself more readily co analysis be ‘cause it can be isolated more easily. ‘This circumstance derives its chief importance from its tendency to promote the mutual ton of art and science. Actually, of a screened behavior Jem which is neatly brought out in a certain situation, Tike a muscle of a body, i s difficult to sxy which ie more fascinating, its artistic value or its value for science. Lo demonstrate the identity of the artistic and scientife usts of photography which heretofore usually were separated will be one of the Fevolution- ary functions of the film.** By close-ups of the things around us, by focusing on hidden decals of familiar objects, by exploring commonplace miles under the ingenious guidance of the camers, the flm, on the one hand, extends our comprehension of the necessities which rule our lives; on the other hand, it manages to assuze us of an im- rmense and unexpected fcld of actoo, Our taverns and our met. ropoltan streets, our offices and furnished rooms, our ssilrosd stations and our factories appeared to have us locked up hope- lesly. Then came the film and burst this prison-world asunder by the dynamice of the temth of a second, so that now, in the midst of its far-flung rains and debris, we calmly and’ adven- turously go traveling. With the close-up, space expands, with slow motion, movement is extended, The enlargement of a soap- shot does not simply render more precise what in any exse Wes fe, though unclear: it reveals entirely new structural forma- tions ofthe subject. So, 00, slow motion not only presents famil- iar qualities of movement bur reveals in them entirely unknown ‘ones “which, far from looking like retarded rapid movements, give the effect of singularly gliding, floating, supernatural mo tions.” * Evidendy a different narure opens itself to the camera than opens to the naked eye—if only because an unconsciously penetrated space is substituted for « space consciously explored Rudolf Araeim, lo. city p38 2 The Work of Ars in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by man. Even if one has a general knowledge of the way people walk, one knows nothing of 2 person's posture during the frac tional second of a side. The act of resching for a lighter or a spoon is familiar routine, yet we hardly know what really goes on between hand and metal, not to mention how this flucruates with ‘our moods. Here the exmera intervenes with the resources of its Towerings and liftings, is interruptions and isolations, its exten sions and accelerations, its enlargements and reductions, The cam- era introduces us to unconscious optics as does psychoanalysis t0 snneanecione impslss. oe (One of the foremost tasks of art has always been the creation of a demand which could be folly satisfied only later" The his- tory of every art form shows critical epochs in which a certain, are form aspires to effeets which could be fully obtained only with a changed technical standard, that is to say, ine new art form. The entravagances and crudiies of art which thus appear, particularly in the so-called decadent epochs, actually aie from the macleus ofits richest hiscorical energies. In recent years such barbarisms were abundant in Dadzism. Its only now that its im pulse becomes discernible: Dudaism attempted to create by pic torial-and literary-means the effeets which the pablic today. secs in the film. Every fondamentally new, pioneering creation of demands will carry beyond its goal. Dadtism did ¢0 t0 the excent that it sacrificed the market values which are so characteristic of the film in favor of higher ambitions—though of course it was not ‘conscious of such intentions as here described. The Dadaists at- tached much les imporcance to the sales value of their work than to its uselessness for contemplative immersion, The studied ‘degradation of their material was not the least of their means t0 achieve this uselessnes. Their poems are “word salad” containing ‘obscenities and every imaginable waste product of language. The same is true of their paintings, on which they mounted buttons and tickets. What they intended and achieved was 2 relentless anSEP-12-2009 02843. Maninaons desrwton ofthe ara ofthc ection, which they branded 2 Feproductons with the very mean of prodscdon. Before sprint ing of Arps or a poem by August Scmm itis imposible to te time for conterpltion and eran a one woul before 2 canvas of Des spon by Rlke Inthe sine of ile {ia society, contemplation beeune school for soc behave ie was countered by distraction a 4 vatiant of socal conduct# Dadautc asides actually sured a eer vehement diae- tion by mang works of ar the cemer of sandal. One seg: ea oun ug he ule oe rom a slung appearence or pernnsive soca of the work of art of the Dadhns became an nrurene of tae lic I tthe sectaor like baller, bappened to him, cas oui uate quay, Te promod » demand forthe fly the dbactng clement of which f alo pinarly tactile, being ‘Redon change of place and focas which pernicly al he spectator. Letus compate the sereen on which «Sn unfolis ‘th the canvas of paintings The ping invites the speccor te contnpation, fore tthe yector can bandon hnealf {0 his autiations. Before the more frame he cannot oso. NO sooner ha is ee gasped ¢smne than already changed. Canoe be arated Dubanel, who detets che Bln and Enows Thing of fu oigieance, though someting of race nore ths crcumsances follows “can no lenge wink what T'wvane to thinks My thoughts have been replaced by moving imiges”* The specutors procs of sociation in view of thet inge ie indeed tcrraped by thie covet, den chaos {Th cons the shock eft of the fo, which Hee all shocks sonld be cushioned by heightened presence of mind By meats of is eetnial structure, the fl has tae the phys ial sock eet oot ofthe wrappers in which Dadian bad twee, kee inside the moral shock efcce™ * Georges Duhamel, Sciner dete oi fer, Pai 1930p 5 at “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction The mass is « matrix from which all traditional behavior to- ward works of art fsues today in a new form. Quantity has been ‘tanstnuted into quality. The greatly increased mass of partici pants has produced a change in the mode of participation, The Fic that the new mode of participation frst appeared in adi repvtable form most not confuse the spectator. Yer some people have launched spirited attacks agsinst precisely this superficial aspect. Among these, Dohamel has expressed himself in the most ‘elie manne Whac he objects t thot te Kind of pare pation which the movie elicits from the mases. Duhamel calls the movie “a pastime for heloc, a diversion for uneducated, ‘wretched, wort-our creatures who are consumed by their wore Ties... 2 spectacle which requires no concentration and pre- ‘supposes no intelligence ..., which kindles no light inthe heart and awakens no hope other than the ridiculous one of someday ‘becoming a ‘star’ in Los Angeles.” * Clearly, this is at bottom the samme ancient lament chat the masses seek distraction whereas art demands concentration from the spectator. That is a common- place. The question remains whether it provides a platform for {he analysis of the film, A closer look is needed here. Distraction and concentration form polar opposites which may be stated 2s follows: A man who concentrates before a work of arc is ab- sorbed by it. He enters into this work of are che way Jegend tll of the Chinese painter when he viewed his finished pointing. In contrast, the distracted mass absorbs the work of art. This is ‘most obvious with regard to buildings. Architecture has always represented the prototype of a work of art the reception of which is consummated by a collectivity ina sate of distraction “The laws of its reception ate most insruetve Buildings have been man's companions since primeval times Many art forms have developed and perished. Tragedy begins ‘with the Greeks, is extinguished with them, and after ceonaries its “rules” only are revived. The epic poem, which bad its origin + Duhamel, op. et p38 2SEP-12-2009 02843. r Menino in the yout of nation, expres in Earope atthe end ofthe Ren- hance: Panel paiing i ereon ef the Middle Ages nd nothing geaatesiauninteruped exence. Bue the man ned for shelter i lng. Architecture has never een ile, Tis sory i mote ancien haa tat of ay eter tien is im to beng a Iving fore has scan a efery emp co com Pretend the renuonhip ofthe mes to ae Bulge are op Fropcated ins twofold miners by ese and By peeepeon= ot Fitts by touch and sige Seth apropsaen aoc be under Sood in Te ofthe ttre cotlontadon of tat before anos ling On the te sie here mn oumerar Conemplason os te opal sce. Tacie appropriation econ Plated hoe so moch by ozone by abe Argue rciee Eire, bbe teins ta lange ea eren pea recep. “Foe, 00 occurs ouch Kas through rape seen nin BY sicing te objet ince fethon, This mode of appro- prion, devdoped with referees to arckecare, cera rcomances asics canonical vale For te asks which face the human appara of perception atthe turing pots of i tory eannor be sled by opts! mean chat conten Son, alone. They are mustered gradually Dy habit under the gridice of tc eppropriaon, "The ditracredpatom co, cin for habits More, the to maser cetn tats a pate of dracon proves tht hit schon has becomes mater of hale Disraction a provided by tre peas «covert conte of the cant co which new ta have become while by appetception: Sine, moreover, indi al ate temped ro oid ch tay are wl cle Ce mot eile and mos importanc oes where able to Mobis the ‘mse Today i oes oi the fim, Recepon in 2 sat of die taco, which is ntesng noicebly inal els of art andi Spimptomatic of profound changes in appereepon, figs in the Bhs tve meds of exten The Han wth it dock eee tes this made of reception balay. The fm makes the cult lie recede ft the bacgroumd no only by puting the pubic athe psn ofthe ce but a by the lt hat othe moves 1° ‘The Work of Arein the Age of Mechanica Reproduction J seqies no attention. The pubic ian examines, ba ded oe The growing proletarianization of modern man and the in- creasing formation of masees are two aspects of the sime process. Fascism attempts to organize the newly created proletarian ‘masses without affecting the property structure which the masses sstive to eliminate, Fascism sees its salvation i giving these masses ‘not theic righty but instead ¢ chance to expres themeelvee® The ‘masses have a right to change property relations; Fascism seeks to give them an expression while preserving property. The log ical rele of Fascism isthe introduction of aesthetic into polit- cal life. The violation of the masses, whom Fascism, with its Fbrer eal, forces to their knees, bas its counterpart in the vio- lation of an apparatus which is pressed into the production of ritual valves. All efforts to render polities aesthetic culminate in one thing: ‘war. War and war only can seta goal for mass movements on the largest scale while respecting the traditional property system. ‘This is the political formula for the situation. The technological formula may be stated as follows: Only war makes it possible to ‘mobilize all of today’s technical resources while maintaining the property system. It goes without saying that the Fascist apothe- Osis of war does not employ such erguments. Sul, Matineti ‘says in his manifesto on the Ethiopian colonial war: “For twenty= seven years we Fucurists have rebelled against the branding of ‘war as antiaesthetic.... Accordingly we state: .. . War is beau tifol because it establishes man's dominion over the subjugated ‘machinery by means of gas masks, erring megaphones, fame throwers, nd small tanks. War is Beautiful because it initiates the