Reading Response: Art in the Age of Mechanical Production

For this week's reading assignment, we were asked to read Walter Benjamin's article, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Production.  The article is articulating a change in perspective about art-making in contemporary society, as a result of some technological innovations. The main vein of ideology that I can discern is how capitalistic production has altered the way that art is produced and distributed, and as a result, capitalistic production has subliminally altered the way we appreciate art.
In modern day society, the idea of capitalistic production has slowly incorporated itself into every facet of our lives. We are constantly looking for faster, easier ways to accomplish tasks and relay information. This can be seen plainly in the innovation of photography. Before the camera, a painting was the only way to capture a moment to preserve it through the ages. Once the camera was invented, the creative mind was free from time consuming production and set its sights on other creative processes.

The article describes some seemingly negative aspects of this change in production as it settles into more and more facets of our lives. One such negative aspect is described as the "decay of the aura." Because we can now access art so quickly and easily, the magic that surrounded the act of art-making is losing its power. For instance, because you can easily and quickly grab a picture of the mona lisa with a quick google search, people are much less inclined to go see the work in real life.  Hence, the aura, the magic of the physical object is appreciated less because people feel that they have already experienced the art. This can be a great thing for the "global village," because it is allowing people who have never had the chance, to experience art for the first time, but it is also leading to the degradation of the romance of art. The traditional idea of art is that it is special and personal and unique, that it is an instrument of magic. Only secondary, is the work's value as an exhibition. However, the speed of distribution in contemporary society is separating the audience from their personal relationship with the artist. In essence, the ritual of painting/drawing/producing art is no longer important, and, contemporary society, now flooded with imagery from all angles, no longer cares to distinguish one process from another. The audience now views all images in the same category and we categorize art as existing for the sake of itself.

One section that I found to be particularly informative is section VIII.  It uses the analogy of theatrical actor vs. film actor to describe this change in thought. It suggests that when a person goes to see a theatrical performance, he or she experiences not "just acting," but the aura of the actor themselves; that the visceral experience of seeing the performer is the creation of a personal relationship with the actor in their entirety. Whereas, with a film actor, the audience receives only the actors interpretation of their role. Therefore, the audience's experience of the acting is separated from the actor's total being and as a result, they sit comfortably in the position of critic. They are free to judge and analyze the actors performance as it relates to all of acting and as a result, the audience has no obligation to consider the processes the actor undertook to achieve a result.

Overall, the article can be a bit confusing to try and tie down to one concept. However, I agree with the author in their interpretation of the change in aesthetic value occurring in contemporary society. I definitely perceive a distinct difference in new vs. old aesthetics. As an artist, I have these ideas about where the honor of art lies, but it is my job as an artist to attempt to connect with an audience, and therefore, it is my responsibility to analyze the way art is perceived, as perceptions inevitably change. It is quite a guessing game in contemporary society to analyze what the word "art" means and anything that can shed light on this guessing game is worth considering.