P R O J E C T 8

the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction

For the first part of the project, we were required to read and make notes on
Walter Benjamins The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction, whilst
reading we were required to bear the following questions in mind:
How does he state his case for the removal of arts elite nature
What do !ou make of his ideas of the "aura of the work
#oes the improvement in the methods of reproduction, colour printing,
digital imaging and television, strengthen or weaken his case
#oes the failure of the $oviet e%periment alter the validit! or otherwise
of his case
For the second part of the project, we were required to stud! the first chapter in
&ohn Bergers 'Ways of Seeing( )or alternativel!*additionall! watch the BB+
videos available on ,outube-. We were then required to answer the following
questions:
#o !ou find his case convincing
#o !ou think that a work of art removed from its original site grows or
diminishes in meaning
#oes familiarit! breed contempt
Has Benjamins "aura been removed b! the postcard
How does he state his case for the removal of arts elite nature
Benjamin in his essa! stated that, '/he technological reproducibilit! of the
artwork changes the relation of the masses to art.( 0W. Benjamin, 1223, p.4567
and it is here that 8 presume that he is arguing for the democrati9ation of art as a
result of mechanical reproduction:in that mass;produced art, freed from the
limitations imposed b! cultic values and elite ownership, could be consumed b!
the masses:and could be used to e%press 'oppositional politics in the face of
oppressive regimes( 0<aughe!, 122=, p.>26. Benjamins thoughts on the potential
'politicisation of art( 0W. Benjamin, 1223, p.>167 were influenced b! his friendship
with Bertolt Brecht, who wanted his pla!s to elicit reactions and thoughts, to
'foster intellectual detachment in audiences so that the! could make their own,
informed political judgements( 0<aughe!, 122=, p.>26.
?@+: Aodule 1 B Croject Dight B the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction B @icki <oader )pg E*E2-
Crior to the abilit! to mechanicall! reproduce art, an artwork had e%isted in a
specific, singular place. 8rrespective of where the artwork was housed, two things
remained the same:it was alwa!s the original authentic artwork that was
e%perienced, and this e%perience was limited to a few people at an! single
moment:it could not be e%perienced b! the masses simultaneousl!.
Aechanical reproduction removed the elite nature of art because it removed the
cultic value associated with art7 we no longer necessaril! view the original, and
the original no longer e%ists in one place, therefore it apparentl! loses its aura, its
here and now )sein Hier und &et9t-, that 'unique e%istence at its place where it
happens to be( 0Aace!, 122E, p.116. /his e%traction, via the process of
mechanical reproduction, collapses space and time, and allows for the
democratisation of art:art is accessible to more than the cultural elite7 and
opens art up for political uses.
Dchoing sentiments e%pressed b! Berger 0Berger, EF=1a, p.EE6, &ennings points
to the fact that art prior to mechanical reproduction was a festished, distance
object owned b! the elite class7 and that this ownership reinforced 'the larger
claims to political power of the class for whom such objects were meaningful: the
ruling class( 0&ennings, 1223, p.EG6. Aechanical reproduction would change all
this because ownership and enjo!ment of art would no longer be restricted to the
elite, ruling class and therefore could no longer be used to substantiate their
claims to power.
8n considering the apparent loss of aura associated with the mechanical
reproduction of art, one has to take into account that with the creation of art
created specificall! for mechanical reproduction, for e%ample photographs or
films, there is no original in the same sense as a painting or a sculpture7 and
there are no longer copies or forgeries, but rather multiples of the artwork: no
one iteration of the product can stand as the original. +onsequentl! artwork
without an original art cannot be degraded b! reproduction:each is as original
as one of its copies. /his argument stands prett! strong e%cept for the practise b!
artists such as &eff Wall who create their artworks in seriousl! restricted numbers
:b! doing this the! manage to create an aura around the artwork:using
e%hibition value rather than the cultic value that is associated with older, and
often religious artworks. Benjamin made specific reference to films as art:and
?@+: Aodule 1 B Croject Dight B the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction B @icki <oader )pg 1*E2-
the fact that the! can be viewed simultaneousl! b! the masses in different parts
of the world.
!hat do "ou make of his ideas of the #aura of the work
$tandard interpretations of the disintegration of the "aura of artwork point
specificall! to the fact that the aura of an artwork is destro!ed b! its mechanical
reproduction. However, 8 tend to agree with Hansen 0Hansen, 1223, p.16 when
she asserts that the 'narrowl! aesthetic understanding of aura rests on a
reductive reading of Benjamin(, and this point of view tends to be echoed b!
+ostello 0+ostello, 12E2, p.16, amongst others:
'For Benjamin, the fundamental issue is not that an "aura ma! be
predicated of some objects 0paintings6 but not others 0photographs6,
but that a fundamental categor! of e%perience, memor! and
perception permeating human possibilities of encountering the world,
other persons and works of art more generall! is in the process of
fading awa!(
and Benjamin 0H. Benjamin, 122G, pp.E>1IE>46:
'For Benjamin, the object of e%perience, be it the face or the work of
art, is losing its abilit! to look backJ H decline in the capacit! to
e%perience is precisel! the problem identified b! Benjamin as the
consequence of the commodification of art coupled to a general
estrangement and alienation from an e%istence marked b!
authenticit!.(
Furthermore, Benjamin address the concept of aura on a number of occasions in
his writings, where he specificall! links the concept of aura to the return of the
ga9e and an e%perience. 8n 'On Some Motifs in Baudelaire(, 0W. Benjamin, 122=,
p.E336 he states:
'/he person we look at, or who feels he is being looked at, looks at us
in turn. /o perceive the aura of an object we look at means to invest it
with the abilit! to look at us in return.(
+onsequentl!, 8 would argue that linking the loss of aura directl! to mechanical
reproduction, as in a cause*effect approach, is reductive in its understanding of
the concept of aura, and its subsequent loss as a result of mechanical
reproduction. Benjamin was commenting on the loss of a specific, aesthetic
e%perience that one encountered when looking at an original artwork:the abilit!
of the object to return the ga9e of the viewer:which was being destro!ed b!
mechanical reproduction. 8f one considers that he held that earlier photographic
images had 'an aura about them, a medium that lent fullness and securit! to their
ga9e even as it penetrated that medium,( 0W. Benjamin, EFFF, p.GEG67 it seems
?@+: Aodule 1 B Croject Dight B the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction B @icki <oader )pg 4*E2-
obvious that the loss of aura is something more than a simple loss caused b! the
method of mechanical reproduction:even if this loss is manifested b! this
means of reproduction.
$oes the improvement in the methods of reproduction% colour printing%
digital imaging and television% strengthen or weaken his case
/his question is similar to the one which asks whether the postcard has
destro!ed the aura of the original artwork7 and 8 would offer a similar answer that
the reproduction of artwork has increased the aura of the original:that in seeing
and becoming familiar with reproductions, one is more determined to see the
original. Cel9er 0Cel9er, 122G, p.12=6 points to the rise of cultural tourism as a
result of mechanical reproduction:that familiarit! with sites of artistic production
has not diminished the aura, but resulted in "pilgrimages to the sites: a "been
there, seen that attitude.
$oes the failure of the &oviet e'periment alter the validit" or otherwise of
his case
Benjamins hope that mechanical reproduction would lead to a democratisation
and politicisation of art was not realised despite the fact that earl! twentieth
Kussian artists groups like the +onstructivists had activel! produced art in the
service of the revolution, and art in the hands of the people. /he official art for of
the $oviet ?nion under $talin was $ocialist Kealism:and despite the fact that it
showed the common people in man! of the paintings, this was not art of the
people, but art used as a propaganda tool to maintain order.
$o "ou find his case convincing
Bergers 'Wa!s of $eeing( was first broadcast in EF=1, four !ears after
Benjamins artwork essa! was published in Dnglish7 and roughl! three !ears after
the broadcasting of Lenneth +larks '+ivilisation( series:both broadcast b! the
BB+. Hlthough man! aspects of Bergers argument remain valid toda!, it would
understandabl! have had a greater impact in EF=1 coming so soon after the
'+ivilisation( series because both the presenters, and their approach to art
differed so drasticall!. +lark was "suited;and;booted, an elitist 'posh man in
tweeds(0BB+, n.d.6. whilst Berger had long hair, an open;necked shirt and spoke
with a slight lisp. +lark approached art criticism in a more traditional manner,
drawing attention to the aesthetic qualities of the art works. Berger, sei9ing
inspiration from Benjamins artwork essa! sought to free art from the approach
?@+: Aodule 1 B Croject Dight B the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction B @icki <oader )pg >*E2-
which had cloaked art in terms and approaches which made it inaccessible and
not understandable to the average man. Whilst +lark reinforces the concept of
high culture, concentrating on aesthetics and grandeur, Berger adopted an
ideological approach:relating the contents of the paintings to class struggle.
Howells and Megreiros suggest that Berger adopted a deliberatel! polemic and
confrontational approach in order to promote a reaction to the traditional
appreciation of art 0Howells and Megreiros, 12E1, p.FG6:which is possibl! a
similar approach to that adopted b! Brecht in his pla!s. Berger has been
criticised for totall! eschewing the aesthetic appreciation of art in favour of his
Aar%ist;influenced ideological approach, but possibl! such a direct approach was
needed to open the door to further debate:to dem!stif! art.
8t is possibl! a little ironic that Berger, nearl! >2 !ears after Benjamins essa!,
was able to take advantage of mechanical reproduction in a form that Benjamin
could not have anticipated, to reach an audience of millions and change their
relation to art immeasurabl!.
$oes familiarit" (reed contempt Has )en*amins #aura (een removed ("
the postcard
Whilst Benjamin suggests in both the Little History of hotography and the
Hrtwork essa!, that mechanical reproduction of an art object has a negative
impact on the aura of the original :'/he peeling awa! of the objectNs shell, the
destruction of the auraJhas grown to the point where even the singular, the
unique, is divested of its uniqueness:b! means of its reproduction.( 0W.
Benjamin, EFFF, p.GEF6 and 0W. Benjamin, 122=, p.11467 8 am inclined to argue
the opposite:that mechanical reproduction:in the form of postcards, books and
television broadcasts:has actuall! increased the aura of the original artwork,
that 'the originals authorit! turns out to be magnified, rather than diminished, b!
its mass diffusion through copies and simulacra,( 0+avallaro, 122E, p.1256. Being
familiar with the reproduction, we have become obsessed with the idea of seeing
the original, and make what can onl! be seen as pilgrimages to see the original
as displa!ed in a museum or art galler!. Our behaviour in front of the original is
respectful and restrained as we politel! view the artwork, and then move to allow
others the same e%perience.
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Berger, in episode one of 'Wa!s of $eeing( 0Berger, EF=1b6, with a backing audio
of religious choruses and visuals of queues of people waiting to worship a
religious icon, points to how we view artwork and icons within the church, sa!ing
that, '!"erything around the image is part of its meaning# its uni$ueness is part
of the single place where it is% !"erything around# it confirms and consolidates its
meaning.( #espite the fact that this visual is based within a church, the
behaviour shown towards artworks within the modern da! galler! or museum can
be seen to encompass the same reverential demeanour:b! placing the artwork
in the galler!, its apparent worth has been increased.
However, 8 suspect that if Berger were to read this, he would point towards the
fact that the aura around the original artwork as housed in a galler! or museum is
grounded in what the artwork has become: '&t is no longer what its image shows
that strikes one as uni$ue' its first meaning is no longer to (e found in what it
says# (ut in what it is.( 0Berger, EF=1a, p.146 8f 8 return to m! understanding of
Benjamins aura being as the result of an aesthetic e%perience found when in
front of that artwork:is it now as a result of the '(ogus religiosity( 0Berger,
EF=1a, p.146 which informs m! e%perience of that artwork 8s it because the
artwork speaks to me, or is it because 8 know that 8 am standing in front of the
original artwork:and its associated uniqueness and market value /o be honest,
8m not sureP Kecentl!, 8 was disappointed when 8 saw Kichard Hamiltons ')ust
what is it that makes today*s homes so different# so appealing+( )EFG5-:it
seemed so small7 and the reproductions 8 had seen were of equal, if not better
qualit!:so in this case, the value of the artwork la! in what it said to me:
irrespective of whether 8 saw the original, authentic piece or reproduction: as
opposed to what it was. But then, on the same visit to the /ate, 8 was able to the
Aatisse ',ut-Outs(:and seeing the marks on the man of the artwork made them
far more impressive than a reproduction ever had. Was this because of the aura
of both the artist and the product in front of me Mo, it was because those pin;
marks on the paper showed me the e%perience of the man, the constant
changing in positioning as he worked through how he wanted the work to look:
there was something of his presence in the art work.
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