Thursday, September 9, 2010

The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Benjamin

"Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be."

After reading this essay, I found myself to agree with Benjamin's position of the reproduction of art, particularly the quote listed above. Current technology can almost perfectly reproduce a piece of artwork. The key word in this previous sentence, is "almost." An artist creates a piece of art and puts in a specific place that he or she wants it to be viewed. To view a picture of a beautiful piece of artwork is not nearly the same as seeing the actual piece, no matter how high the quality of your camera. The area in which the artwork is located has a very large effect on many aspects of a painting, including the meaning, the painter's  message, and the mood. To view the original piece of artwork in its original place gives it so much more value and meaning than to see it in a magazine or on a computer screen. 
Although you can tell from a picture of a piece of art that it is beautiful, you can never fully capture its beauty unless you go an see it yourself in person.

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