A look at Walter Benjamin

Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction“ in Illuminations trans. Harry Zohn (New York: Schoken Books 1969)

Written in 1936, Walter Benjamin’s essay The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction provides interesting insight into contemporary issues surrounding the function of art, mass media, and the evolution of capitalism. The preface to the essay briefly summarizes the Marxists views on what we now call “Late Capitalism”. Benjamin writes of Marx’s prognostications on what could be expected of Capitalism in the future, “The result was that one could expect it not only to exploit the proletariat with increasing intensity, but ultimately to create conditions which would make it possible to abolish capitalism itself.”

Modern Art seems, to be on a parallel course with the development of technology. The traditional “ritualistic” art object has been rendered obsolete. Technology and its means of reproducing art and nature has exceeded the power of cult, and like capitalism, will eventually lead to the abolishment of art that is based upon ritualistic function. Mass media has replaced the ritual of contemplation with the social practice of consumption.

Benjamin examines the value of artwork based upon two opposite extremes – its traditional cult value, and its contemporary exhibition value. The essay first defines what traditional art is in terms of its function and aura. Historically art has served a ritualistic function. It’s earliest manifestations dealt with magic, which evolved into religion, and ultimately the affirmation of political power. Cave drawings and stone formations are considered works of art whose value is based upon the aura that connects us to a particular place and time and yet maintains its distance no matter how close you are. Latter artworks, based upon the portraits of the aristocracy, possess an aura of authority that is enhanced by its separation from the working class.

These traditional art objects possessed an aura that was based upon the inseparable attributes of uniqueness and originality. The aura of a work of art is what established its authenticity. Traditional art’s permanence and authority was based upon its non-reproducibility. However, art has always been reproducible. Whether fabricated by students, the artist themselves, or third parties, replicas have always existed. These handcrafted replicas never threatened the authenticity of the original artwork however as the existence of original was still necessary in order to label the replica as a copy or forgery. Mechanical or Technical reproduction is quite a different story. Technical reproduction does two things that replicas do not. First of all meaning that was once attached to an art object is now separated and transmitted through means of mechanical reproduction. The process of reproduction is more independent of the original, it’s meaning dislocated from the art object. Secondly, technical reproduction such as photography and film can actually enhance the original beyond “natural vision” by increasing its time and space through magnification and slow motion shutter techniques. Also, technical reproductions or art designed for technical reproduction can put a copy of the original into situations, which would be out of reach of the original. . While the authority of an art object is lost when it’s authenticity (due to technical reproduction) is compromised, its cult value is exceeded by its new found exhibition value that has the ability to stimulate social formation.
My own child responded to my inquiry about what he wanted for Christmas by giving me a stack of advertisements he had circled stating, “Tomorrow there will be more catalogs. This is all I saw that I wanted from today’s catalogs”

Modern technologies of reproduction detach the art object from the “domain of tradition.” However, by the reproduction meeting the audience in their own situation, the object is reactivated. Technology obverts the ritual function of art by destroying its aura and, “will empower the proletariat to shatter tradition and transcend their traditional existence.” Benjamin sees film as being the most powerful medium for change in cultural values because of its ability to simultaneously construct and deconstruct traditional values. “The painter is like a magician who never penetrates the patient while the camera operator is like the surgeon cutting into the patient.” A film about a legendary person will eventually remove the myth of that person. This argument can be linked to Maslow’s theory of human need that states we cannot see a miracle multiple times. Reproduction ultimately demystifies or deconstructs the miracles of creativity and authenticity. Reproduction of natural “truths” at first depreciates the aura of that which is reproduced. Technology drives the deconstruction of history while at the same time creates historical indexes or signifiers, which create social formations.

Photography and film are considered the two most powerful tools for ideological change. “That which is easiest to consume is least criticized and therefore more powerful and dangerous”. The presentation of a photographic viewpoint can distort or displace reality more subtlety, inviting less criticism of its ideology than a painting or sculpture, which is farther removed. Photography and film offer conventional forms of representation, which are consumed with enjoyment while the more abstract representations are criticized with aversion. More potent is film and photography’s role in no longer allowing the spectator to think what they want to think. They are forced to consume what is project in the image via a cinematic process of “suspension of disbelief.” The spectator who concentrates on a work of art is absorbed by it. The masses that are distracted by the spectacle of art are absorbed by the art. It is our absorption into cultural products that enables art to exceed its original ritualistic ability to create culture. This creates an environment write for Fascism, where you are given the means of expressing your rights without really giving you that right.