Art can change through a variety of ways. The device, such as a camera, can capture a digital copy of a physical object in a blink of a second and change the perspective completely. Environment sets the mood for how a piece of art is supposed to influence the audience. Reproduction can drastically change a piece of art by simply degrading something that took hours to accomplish and perfect. Perspective sets the mood and feeling of the art piece which is greatly affected by the environment. Lastly, manipulation distorts the originality and authenticity of an art piece.
Camera
The Work of art in the Age of the Mechanical Reproduction era is greatly affected by the camera. With the invention of the camera, John Berger states in the Ways of Seeing video that, “it changes how we view everything.” The camera affects art in many ways, but also most importantly, not only does the camera reproduce art in many different sizes and mediums, it helps to make too many replicas of the original masterpiece. The original work of art that the artist put his or her time into then loses its quality and its uniqueness due to the cameras abilities to reproduce. Walter Benjamin talks about “aura”, historically speaking all works of art had an “aura” but it has disappeared in modern art, because of the fact that it has become reproducible. Benjamin is trying to prove that no painting has authenticity. Berger proves a point by stating that even though we see art through a computer or a television we are seeing the original but we aren’t in front of it. So it is technically not the original. Benjamin believes that even the original is devalued because it is no longer unique. Cameras do have a enormous impact on how we depict art.
Environment
The Environment has a large impact on the audience as well. Whatever is captured in a piece of art affects the audience by how it is seen and who it is seen by. Benjamin goes on to explain that the audience takes the position of the camera. This is affected by the environment because all art pieces have a backdrop either physically in the picture or where the picture is displayed for the pleasure of the eyes. On the other hand, the environment can confuse our perseption of an art piece. For instance, in Benjamin’s argument, he says that a jump from the window can be shot in the studio as a jump from a scaffold. In this way, the environment can easily be tweeked to change our thought pattern. John Berger states that the human eye can only be in one place at one time, making the environment an important aspect because it sets the mood and "aura" felt while viewing an art piece. To sum it up, Berger explains that everything around the image is part of its meaning; everything around it confirms and consolidates its meaning. If an art piece is reproduced and placed in a different environment, the mood and aura changes completely.An exampe would be like placing an art piece in a darker room or in a brighter room. Another aspect, reproduction, changes the authenticity of a piece of art and it’s environment.
Reproduction
The essay by Walter Benjamin is supported by the BBC episodes of Ways of Seeing, by John Berger because it goes hand in hand in. They both state that reproduction has changed people’s view on art and has even changed its meaning. The first episode of Ways of Seeing, go on and explains how manipulation of art can change the meaning of previous art work. Paintings are an example of how an art piece can be venerable to manipulation. The paintings are silent and still, which make them easy for other artist to use for their own purposes. They can be used to enhance their own statements they are trying to create; or they add things to it to give it another meaning and get people to change their views about the art work indefinitely. An easy way how people can change paintings is because they are silent they could add sound, or movement which can alter the intended meaning that the original artist had in mind. Another factor that plays on to how venerable art is altered it that most of the pieces used, the artists are now deceased, they don’t really have a say to what is happening to their work.
Perspective
John Berger's video “Way of Seeing” and Walter Benjamin's article, “Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” talk about the perspective of a replicated artwork versus the original. John Berger says, “perspective makes the eye of the visible world”. When we see an original work of art we usually feel like, “Wow this is amazing!” because it is real. There are so many replicas of artworks which makes our eyes see it as fake. The way we see art now isn't as amazing as we did before we had technology to replicate. John Berger says how the human mind is programmed to see things by habit and convention. That means our brains see things the way it has always been, like we expect to see the Mona Lisa painting a certain way. Most of us seen that painting through a picture, so we never felt any emotional connection to it because we don't feel what the artist felt during the time of painting it. Benjamin says replicating an artwork “is lacking.. .its unique existence at the place where it happens to be”. Seeing the Mona Lisa painting isn't unique for us because it's everywhere, but if it was never replicated we would perceive the painting as something amazing done by the legendary painter Leonardo da Vinci.
Manipulation
In The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin he introduces the idea of mechanical reproduction as a plausible threat to the authenticity, aura, and original meaning of any artwork that has been reproduced. Mostly focusing on the reproduction by photography, and cinema he explains how increasing availability through different types of media replace the need to see the authentic creation. Therefore destroying the original meaning due to variation of perception dependent on different factors. Examples of this are explained through religious sculptures that were made ages ago that are now looked at as historical content rather than religious ideals. In John Berger’s Ways of Seeing they demonstrate this as well using audio and visual effects. They use music to add a dramatic effect to what may seem as an ordinary painting. Also they zoom into a portion of the painting to analyze that specific part rather than the painting of a whole changing the meaning of the painting. They physically depict how mechanical reproduction allows the deformation of artwork. Although both articles do explain the same ideas, physically depicting what the message is greatly increases the credibility. This allows the audience to feel the pathos perceptive of the message.
The Work of art in the Age of the Mechanical Reproduction era is greatly affected by the camera. With the invention of the camera, John Berger states in the Ways of Seeing video that, “it changes how we view everything.” The camera affects art in many ways, but also most importantly, not only does the camera reproduce art in many different sizes and mediums, it helps to make too many replicas of the original masterpiece. The original work of art that the artist put his or her time into then loses its quality and its uniqueness due to the cameras abilities to reproduce. Walter Benjamin talks about “aura”, historically speaking all works of art had an “aura” but it has disappeared in modern art, because of the fact that it has become reproducible. Benjamin is trying to prove that no painting has authenticity. Berger proves a point by stating that even though we see art through a computer or a television we are seeing the original but we aren’t in front of it. So it is technically not the original. Benjamin believes that even the original is devalued because it is no longer unique. Cameras do have a enormous impact on how we depict art.
Environment
The Environment has a large impact on the audience as well. Whatever is captured in a piece of art affects the audience by how it is seen and who it is seen by. Benjamin goes on to explain that the audience takes the position of the camera. This is affected by the environment because all art pieces have a backdrop either physically in the picture or where the picture is displayed for the pleasure of the eyes. On the other hand, the environment can confuse our perseption of an art piece. For instance, in Benjamin’s argument, he says that a jump from the window can be shot in the studio as a jump from a scaffold. In this way, the environment can easily be tweeked to change our thought pattern. John Berger states that the human eye can only be in one place at one time, making the environment an important aspect because it sets the mood and "aura" felt while viewing an art piece. To sum it up, Berger explains that everything around the image is part of its meaning; everything around it confirms and consolidates its meaning. If an art piece is reproduced and placed in a different environment, the mood and aura changes completely.An exampe would be like placing an art piece in a darker room or in a brighter room. Another aspect, reproduction, changes the authenticity of a piece of art and it’s environment.
Reproduction
The essay by Walter Benjamin is supported by the BBC episodes of Ways of Seeing, by John Berger because it goes hand in hand in. They both state that reproduction has changed people’s view on art and has even changed its meaning. The first episode of Ways of Seeing, go on and explains how manipulation of art can change the meaning of previous art work. Paintings are an example of how an art piece can be venerable to manipulation. The paintings are silent and still, which make them easy for other artist to use for their own purposes. They can be used to enhance their own statements they are trying to create; or they add things to it to give it another meaning and get people to change their views about the art work indefinitely. An easy way how people can change paintings is because they are silent they could add sound, or movement which can alter the intended meaning that the original artist had in mind. Another factor that plays on to how venerable art is altered it that most of the pieces used, the artists are now deceased, they don’t really have a say to what is happening to their work.
Perspective
John Berger's video “Way of Seeing” and Walter Benjamin's article, “Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” talk about the perspective of a replicated artwork versus the original. John Berger says, “perspective makes the eye of the visible world”. When we see an original work of art we usually feel like, “Wow this is amazing!” because it is real. There are so many replicas of artworks which makes our eyes see it as fake. The way we see art now isn't as amazing as we did before we had technology to replicate. John Berger says how the human mind is programmed to see things by habit and convention. That means our brains see things the way it has always been, like we expect to see the Mona Lisa painting a certain way. Most of us seen that painting through a picture, so we never felt any emotional connection to it because we don't feel what the artist felt during the time of painting it. Benjamin says replicating an artwork “is lacking.. .its unique existence at the place where it happens to be”. Seeing the Mona Lisa painting isn't unique for us because it's everywhere, but if it was never replicated we would perceive the painting as something amazing done by the legendary painter Leonardo da Vinci.
Manipulation
In The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin he introduces the idea of mechanical reproduction as a plausible threat to the authenticity, aura, and original meaning of any artwork that has been reproduced. Mostly focusing on the reproduction by photography, and cinema he explains how increasing availability through different types of media replace the need to see the authentic creation. Therefore destroying the original meaning due to variation of perception dependent on different factors. Examples of this are explained through religious sculptures that were made ages ago that are now looked at as historical content rather than religious ideals. In John Berger’s Ways of Seeing they demonstrate this as well using audio and visual effects. They use music to add a dramatic effect to what may seem as an ordinary painting. Also they zoom into a portion of the painting to analyze that specific part rather than the painting of a whole changing the meaning of the painting. They physically depict how mechanical reproduction allows the deformation of artwork. Although both articles do explain the same ideas, physically depicting what the message is greatly increases the credibility. This allows the audience to feel the pathos perceptive of the message.
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