The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction::::::G11

(Maziar, Ron, Yung-Hoon, Ramy)

Walter Benjamin explains that the new techniques of reproduction have decreased the value of the original object, thus eliminating any traditional importance it may have had. By increasing the number of copies, a phenomenon of mass production is perceived for any original object created only once. Any work of art has always been reproducible; however the new mechanical methods have harmed the work of arts aura. Since any work of art can be replicated, the original has lost its unique existence and the reason to its physical presence. The destruction of the aura by the mechanical reproduction points out the passage from the artwork as a form of cult to the artwork as an exhibit. The future of mechanical reproduction is to be able to reproduce images in an increasingly detailed way, where quantity is transmuted into quality: “The greatly increased mass of participants has produced a change in the mode of participation.”

In The Culture Industry it is mentioned that today’s art is more like a business or factory that rotates one product after another. There is a reproduction that occurs rather then an original creation of art. Horkheimer and Adorno criticizism of film, music, and print materials seem to hold true even in today’s society. Mechanically reproduced cultural products such as radio and film created for entertainment purposes, were blinding consumers of their real desires. The entertainment business created a virtual reality for political or economic interests, thus becoming a manipulating marketing scheme built to influence as many people as possible.