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| Bridge over a Pond of Water Lilies, Claude Monet 1899 |
In "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction", Walter Benjamin discusses how technological reproduction of art affects the aesthetic of the piece. Benjamin suggests that reproductions of famous works of art diminishes the value of the artwork. In his essay Benjamin introduces the idea of an aura. Each piece of artwork has its own unique aura, its own place in time and space. A unique singularity of the piece which is affected by mechanical reproduction.
Printmaking is a technique that is typically hand processed. I have experimented with printmaking by carving a block of linoleum and using a special ink to transfer the image onto paper. Not every print will look the same depending on how much ink you use, how much pressure is applied when transferring the image, etc. A print could be transferred to many other types of fabric as well. Analog photography uses chemicals to print an image onto paper, film, or hard plates. Analog photography has been around for more than a century before digital photography. Although analog photography has died down throughout the years, many artists still prefer it for aesthetic reasons. These two forms of art are quite different from one another. In printmaking, you are typically making the image by hand and in analog photography, the camera will have a chemical reaction to process the image you captured. That's about as much as I know about those two forms of art.
I believe that painted reproductions are different than printed and photographic reproductions. It is pretty hard to explain, but I will use the example of the Mona Lisa reproductions. The original Mona Lisa was created in 1503, so you can imagine that it must have faded quite a bit. The paint has aged, so the texture may not be as smooth as it was in its heyday. The painted reproduction it neat because it gives us an idea of what it may have been like in the 1500's. It won't be a perfect match. There will be differences because I don't believe it's possible to copy a piece of art perfectly, but it's cool because it's the only way we could see what it may have been like back then. Printmaking the Mona Lisa is a fascinating idea that must have been very hard to execute, but once again it won't be an exact match, but more like an interpretation of a great piece of art. Taking an image of Mona Lisa is different because the camera can capture what it looks like currently, which is fine. I think that the aged painting actually has some charm to it. It reminds me that this is an artifact that was created centuries ago, and it should be appreciated for its longevity, however a photograph of it will also not translate the same as seeing it in person. A photo will not have the same aura as the original piece. For some of us, it is the best option though. As a broke college student, I can't plan a trip to the Louvre anytime soon, unfortunately.
Benjamin believed that mechanical reproduction could harm the original work of art because it detaches it from the original. It makes the work of art less unique because it is distributed all over. I'm a bit torn on this because I can see what he means. I love Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh, but seeing it printed everywhere can make it feel less... special. Like it is slowly losing its uniqueness. On the other hand, it's great to see that so many people appreciate art.
In his essay, Benjamin talks about landscapes and historical objects as having auras. I agree that historical items have an aura. Personally, I love Victorian era homes. They have an amazing style, but that's not all. Knowing that they are structures that have been around for so long and have been through so much just gives them a certain vibe. The craftsmanship that went into some homes back then is just unmatched.
Mass reproductions allow people to have their favorite artwork so close to them at all times. It allows people to represent their favorite artworks whether it is on a poster, a sticker, or a pair of socks. I'm not entirely sure how these change the function of the original artwork, but I can imagine that seeing your favorite artwork all over can make you grow tired of it. I don't ever want to grow tired of Claude Monet's water lilies to the point that I would no longer appreciate the original work in person.
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