Modern Vision

In Walter Benjamin’s ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’ he states that, “to an even greater degree the work of art reproduced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility. From a photographic print, for example, one can make any number of prints; to ask for the ‘authentic’ print makes no sense.”

Many people would agree that art is the creation if something that effects our emotions, senses, perception and understanding. Benjamin argues that art is unique in time, space and history. “Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking one element: it’s presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be.” Through the authenticity of the art work an ‘aura’ is created. The viewer is able to understand this work of art by the feelings and engagement it generates within them.

I agree with Benjamin’s statement to a certain degree. With today’s modern technology anything can be copied or replicated. The aura Benjamin talks about is lost with mechanical production. With the original piece of art, the history, aura and symbolic meaning is kept where as it can be lost through copies. Because of the efficiency and availability of technology, replicas and copies are easily accessible and affordable. Therefore, it makes sense to purchase or create a copy. This however does not make the original or “authentic” art work any less important. It is still an important part of history, we can learn a lot about the context of the work or the processes used to create it. Prints of famous and historic paintings and photographs are readily available worldwide which means more people have access to them and can get aesthetic value from them. They may not be as valuable as the original but this does not mean they are any less important to the owner. I disagree to an extent that the aura is lost through a copy. The aura one feels when viewing a piece of art may not come from the art work itself, but perhaps from the memories it generates or thoughts it provokes.  

For example, a print of the photograph Le Baiser de l’Hotel by Robert Doisneau was given to me by my French host family. It is a very famous photograph and although it is not the authentic, it still creates an aura every time I look at it. It brings back many memories of time and place and I can appreciate the beauty of the photograph and imagine the aura that the original must create. Photography is capturing a single moment or in some cases, a series of moments. These moments are ‘real’; they represent what the human eye sees it that particular moment in time and space. Photographs show us what sometimes goes unnoticed or unseen. It is an exploration of our perception.

Le baiser de l'hotel - Robert Doisneau