Walter Benjamin

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Production

The essay was interesting and forced the reader to not only note the transition between the cult value and the exchange value of art, but also question the future. It is too easy to draw conclusions about the negative effect mechanical production has on cultic works and I do not think that this is what Benjamin was trying to emphasize. I think the focus is on what the transition into reproducibility means for art as a whole. Apart from bringing old works into new modes, what about reproducing future works?

Commoditization of the work of art is definitely an issue. I wonder how do we produce in the age without allowing the work to become commoditized ? or do we? Is there a value to the dissemination of art without loss of quality? Personally I think that depends on your definitions of quality. I know artists who work computer magic and create awe inspiring art and film and yet I still prefer the tactile quality of yesteryear. A reproduction of Jackson Pollack may on all accounts be sharp and indistinguishable ( I saw one created from a computer in New York) but you know he hasn’t pissed on it himself. A human touch and statement that cannot be replicated.