The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

The essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction was written by Walter Benjamin as a form of cultural criticism which argued that mechanical production has resulted in the devaluation of art. Benjamin is concerned with the replacement of manual production with mechanical production has resulted in the loss of value and tradition. The following paper expounds more on what Benjamin discussed in the essay. An analysis of the essay in the context of culture and art is also given as well as an explanation of how artifice functions in Cindy Sherman’s work.

Benjamin points out the rise of use mechanical production and the influence on the meaning of art. Two major issues are addressed, one is photography as a form of art and the other is how mechanical reproduction is done on the photographs thus making photography an element of art. He argues that working on art using mechanical production usually shatters the tradition of art. The idea is that using mechanical production usually kills the aura of art. At some point Benjamin says that “the uniqueness of a work of art is inseparable from its being embedded in the fabric of tradition (Barker).” He gives an example of a Parisian photographer who began by dismembering different scenes in photographs in order to focus on the details captured. Benjamin argues that such acts definitely kill the aura of art.

Benjamin explains how human beings have lost control of the art tradition and culture where he uses a Marxist lens where he has described the effect of the use of the mechanical reproduction of art. One argument that he makes is that the production of an image cannot generate the original piece in terms of time and uniqueness. It is clear that with production, the work that is produced by the photographer is entirely different from the work that is produced by the craft man. Therefore, based on the various concerns that are raised by Benjamin, there are two issues that are evident. One is photography as a form of art and the second issue is the use of photography in the reproduction of images initially captured. Benjamin is basically concerned with the latter case where mechanical production is used.

Analysis

This part analyzes the essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction in the context of art and culture. In addition, an explanation of how artifice functions in Cindy Sherman's work is also given. Benjamin focuses on photography as a form of art. With photography, individuals are able to capture memorable events that may be taking place. These events can be documented and therefore they have a historical aspect which is why the pieces may fall under art. After the concept of photography as an art, the next issue that is raised is the reproduction of photography. The aspect of culture can be seen from the initial practices used to produce the images.

Benjamin features two types of reproduction. One is the mechanical reproduction and the other is the old way of reproducing where craftsmen used to do the work. Unlike in the case of mechanical reproduction, in the second method, the initial qualities of a piece of art are maintained and it is very hard for an individual to notice the difference. However, with mechanical production, the initial qualities captured on the original surface are lost. In relation to the second method, Benjamin argues that ‘‘It was absolutely impossible, by studying the old engravings, to distinguish between the original [painting] and a close contemporary copy or a fake of it, even of the most blatant kind (Barker)’’. However in light of the first method which is mechanical production, he says that the method has changed the way that we see and art and has generally led to depreciation of art. In other words, it simply represents the loss of culture in relation to the art which is where the concept of culture comes into the picture.

Cindy Sherman focuses on photography where she uses the camera and other tools such as makeup, stage scenery and costumes is to create various illusions and to bring out different themes such as political satires (Sherman). Based on these practice, the aspect of artifice can be clearly seen in her work since she is able to bring different images of herself based on the message that she hopes to put across. With her work, Sherman has managed to change the aspect of visual perception. According to Benjamin, the use of mechanical production resulted in the loss of tradition in relation to art photography. Taking a closer look at Sherman’s work, it is clear that her work has also resulted in the loss of tradition in self-portraiture and the aspect of theatrical role-playing in art. Having provided the feedback, readers can feel free to reach out to receive additional feedback on the subject. We provide help with online classes along with other types of writing services.

Works Cited

Barker, C. "Mechanical Reproduction in an Age of High Art." Waiting for the Redirectiron.., www.contempaesthetics.org/newvolume/pages/article.php?articleID=708.

Sherman, S. "Cindy Sherman Photography, Bio, Ideas." The Art Story, www.theartstory.org/artist/sherman-cindy/.