Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

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Visit any major museum of art, at any given time, and one could find an abundance of monumental names listed on tiny plaques hanging next to even more recognizable works of art. The excitement felt by any art enthusiast when walking into these buildings of time and creation, is undeniable and especially unique. Could it be the atmosphere of the building, the presence of artwork, the people, possibly the grandeur of the space, or perhaps, could it be the spirit of the artists themselves, peering through the work they created? As onlookers peer into the artworks in front of them, there is no question as to whether or not they considered what the artwork means, where it came from and what the artist was interested in who created it. The intrigued viewer quite possibly could also want to have a conversation with that artist and ask them questions about the artwork and what it was that they were thinking about when producing it, with a goal of better understanding what they were looking at. As the viewer and after serious contemplation, would you believe you understood the artwork as the artist or artist’s society believed the work? Could you appreciate the work the same? Walter Benjamin, a well known German-Jewish Marxist literary and cultural critic, philosopher, translator and essayist introduced ideas and questions similar to these in his epic essay, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” He wrote about many different ideas concerning the concept of art, writing, politics and society. Benjamin was born in Berlin on July 15, 1892. He worked and lived in Germany for the majority of his life. He earned a Ph. D in 1919, but never held an academic career (egs.edu, 2009). “He dedicated his life’s work to writ... ... middle of paper ... ... 41-46. Ebscohost. Web. 12 Nov. 2009 Luehrman M., Unrath K. “Bringing Children to Art- Bringing Art to Children.” Art Education. Jan. 2009: 41-47. Print. Peim, Nick. “Walter Benjamin in the Age of Digital Reproduction: Aura in Education: A Rereading of ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.’” Journal of Philosophy of Education 41.3 (2007): 363-380. Wilson Web. Web. 2 Nov. 2009. Stolnitz, Jerome. “One The Apparent Demise of Really High Art.” The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 43.4 (1985): 345-358. Wilson Web. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. Stolnitz, Jerome. “The Aesthetic Attitude’ in the Rise of Modern Aesthetics.”Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 36.4 (1978): 409-422. Wilson Web. Web. 15 Oct. 2009. Townsend, Chris. “Knowledge as Spectacle.” Art Monthly 322 (Dec.2008/Jan.2009): 11- 14. Wilson Web. Web. 15 Oct. 2009.

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