The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

This week’s reading of Walter Benjamin brought up the question for me of once a work of art is divorced from any sort of specialization, what is the point of what you are looking at?

My weekend was spent down in DUMBO at the annual arts fest. My friend and I wandered in and out of the open studio spaces on Jay and Front Streets for hours. My brains were fried at the end and I find it notable only for all I’ve forgotten compared to the three artists I remember. There was art in excess, but it was easy to tell who the talented artists were on sight and those were the pieces that drew interest. The ones that shone through all the noise to me had bold colors, strong perspectives, and a sense of vibrancy. Also a sense of technical skill.

Benjamin mentioned that with the invention of mechanical reproduction, anyone could take a photo. Or write a page or use their video camera to make a movie. But not anyone can be a photographer, writer, or cinematographer. There is a definite division between something that was made and something that was created. He calls it the aura. The unique pull of a work created by someone who has mastered their artform. When confronted with art that had the aura of good work, my friend and I were easily able to separate that experience from all the crap that came before and after. “Wow, they were really talented,” we’d say before moving on to the next studio. Hours of sifting through art to find three talents is definitely worth it.