Week 3: Robotics & Arts

Week 3: Robotics & Arts

April 19,2019

Walter Benjamin’s essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” goes into depth about the dispute between the artistic merits of paintings versus photograph that was brought about in the 19th century. Benjamin’s essay highlights many significant and interesting insight into the topic. One argument revolving around this topic is that a painting is a visual representation of an artist’s view meanwhile a photo is less valuable since it is simply a representation of reality. These ideas are both incorrectly analyzed though, both paintings and photography can be a unique view from another person, in many instances an artist, perspective. When you take a picture there are a variety of angles you can get the same shot from, giving the person taking the photo the power of portraying the photo the way they would like it to be presented. Additional to the angles being an accent, it is also easily accessible, unlike a painting which can cost hundreds of dollars. Paintings such as “Mona Lisa”  or “The Starry Night” can cost one $100 million dollars, but certain things such as photography make it possible for one to still have access to such art without emptying their pockets. This validates Benjamin’s point of the importance this debate has since the mass producing of art was relatively new to the Western World, beginning with the printing press.

Industrializing and progressing technology not only made new art forms known, the most recent being robots and artificial intelligence, but industrialization also broadened art’s accessibility beyond just the privileged and allows everyone no matter financial standing to enjoy art. Also, industrialization granted the chance for anyone to become an artist. Instead of art being limited to painters and sculptors anyone can buy a camera or even just use the one on their phone. This has introduced a new culture of beginning photographers, and soon to be artist.

Sources:

Benjamin, Walter. The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. London: Penguin, 2008. Print.

Davis, Douglas. “The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction.” TThe he MIT Press, 1995. <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1576221?uid=3739560&uid=2&uid=4&uid=3739256&sid=21101286048881>.

Empiresandruins, /. “Impact of the Printing Press on Enlightenment.” The Empire State of Mind, 29 Oct. 2016, empiresandruins.wordpress.com/2016/10/29/impact-of-the-printing-press-on-enlightenment/.

Misachi, John. “Who Invented the First Camera?” WorldAtlas, 17 May 2018, www.worldatlas.com/articles/who-invented-the-first-camera.html.

“Top 100 Masterpieces - World's Most Famous Paintings.” Top 100 Masterpieces: Most Famous Paintings | BrushWiz.com, www.brushwiz.com/most-famous-paintings/.