Benjamin

From MarxWiki

Walter Benjamin wrote, among other things, `The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,` which is taught in every media studies/cultural studies course known to man. Described art as having an aura, or the quality in a unique work of art that exists in only one place. Benjamin was a bit of a `jack of all trades` type of scholar; known for his philosophical essays, he was also a literary scholar and a translator. A Jew, he was persecuted during the Nazi era, and fled his native Germany in 1940. He was stopped at the French-Spanish border. In desperation, he committed suicide, since he was convinced he would not be allowed to cross the border and would be captured by the Nazis. Tragically, the border opened the day after his suicide, and the rest of his party was allowed to cross.

There is a certain tension in `The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.` On the one hand, Benjamin seems eminently aware of the potential dangers of open repoduction. He discusses film, and points out that its qualities of distraction have the potential to make it a powerful tool of social control. On the other hand, there is also an optimism to the work. He belived that the Aura of a work of art, the authority of the object itself, is a pseudo-religious illusion that serves only to exclude. By detaching an object from tradition (through reproduction), the aura is depreciated, and Benjamin seems to feel that this is ultimately a liberating thing. He sees it as a fundamental change in the nature of art; separated from its ritual value, it becomes available for political usage. This thesis is, of course, grounded in Marxist thought, as it attempts to show how changes in conditions of production can affect different areas of culture, even how art is used and seen.

Interestingly, many believe that Benjamin's forecast of the decay of aura has not come true. And that the opposite has in fact occurred. They argue that the aura of originality and authenticity has not so much diminished, but changed. Whereas the uniqueness of the original once resided in its link with tradition, and its ritual functions, it now resides in its status as the source of all copies, which gives it a new ritual function (known by all as the most-photographed-barn-effect) Some also argue that reproduction has merely shifted the false aura from high art to mass culture.