Many theorists have projected their thoughts and theories in articles which they have written and who many have made their articles accessible to the public via internet. The philosophers who we have been focusing on have been Walter Benjamin and John Burger. Benjamin’s article "Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" is the article which intrigued me the most, and it is also his most famous philosophical essay. One of his main points which is vividly mentioned throughout his essay is his theory of aura. He explains how aura has changed throughout time and will continue to change due to the lack of originality and creativity, by definition aura is the distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person, thing, or place. Knowing the meaning of aura can change the way an individual looks at a piece of art because they will know how to actually appreciate the originality or the certain artwork. I will be analyzing the song “Fortunate Son” by The Creedence Clearwater Revival and incorporating it will Benjamin’s theory of aura and film production; consequently, I believe that when you listen to a song with visual context it gives you an emotional connection depending on the aura which surrounds you.
Jimi Hendrix guitar solo during the Woodstock Festival of 1969,would give a eye opening view of how America was changing in the late 20th century. It was as if guitar strings were screaming social change. Walter Benjamin stated that any sort of reproduction loses it value and its aura. The actually drawing can never be reproduced as the original, in this case the concert can never be experienced like if you actually physically there at the time. I will analyze the short video of Jimi Hendrix playing, "The Star Spangle Banner" compare it Benjamin's text and see it Benjamin's theory is credible when put into action. I believe that first experiences can never be reproduced you can only create new ones as to come back expose yourself again to that art piece, song, movie, etc. “Sunday Bloody Sunday” rocked the United Kingdom charts for weeks and will always be remembered as a song that will never die because war never dies. Walter Benjamin’s theory relates to this song because he believed that war is beautiful. It is a time that cannot be relived. War is artistic and a cliché piece of art is nowhere near the original. I will be analyzing the song “Sunday Bloody Sunday” by U2 and referencing it back to Benjamin’s theory. The art of war is a beautiful thing but a battle is not. This song is a model of Benjamin’s theory that lets you become involved with its aura and political message. Art surrounds us. Art is simple, it can be found anywhere. It is a form of expression using the creative mind. It is beautiful and all art has meaning. Each meaning is different to each and every admirer of a certain work of art. There are no guidelines to art, which I like because art can literally be anything. It is something that someone creates to send a message. Art is meant to be admired. I wandered around Los Angeles for hours looking for some kind of art which can create a sense of liveliness to my day. I walked from the fashion District to Pershing Square; as well to the Art District. Even though I was feeling lost while walking around several blocks over and over again, I was not really sure what I was going to run into, but I found it really strange that I decided to find this random sculpture by the Museum of Contemporary Art. I did run into other art pieces but for some reason I let the anonymous signal lights guide my way. They had led me to this random abstract modern art sculpture known as Chas’ Stainless Steel, Mark Thompson’s Airplane Parts, About 1000 Pounds of Stainless Steel Wire made by Nancy Rubins. For some strange reason I was fascinated by the appearance of the sculpture because it looked abstract. I found it ironic how something like a modern sculpture could represent an abstract scene, but that was the thrill of approaching it.
This is an art piece that I stubbled across while walking to the Pub to pick up a quick snack before the start of my next class, but before I went to eat I just had to take a picture of this magnificent art piece. Now originally I was going to take a trip to L.A. to a museum or a monument that was mentioned in class to write this paper on but while I was home I going threw some of my photos and came across this picture, as I looked at it it made me realize how it didn't make me feel the same way I originally felt when I first saw it and took a picture of it. I thought to myself that this was a prime example of the bases of Benjamin's article and theory of aura. In Benjamin's article "ohn Berger's Ways of Seeing,Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction."is describes how art is losing its sense of aura. One day I went to Belmont High School to give a test for the ACT exam. Which was about a year ago before I started college and I remember seeing a huge mural painted across the high school. I didn't get to see what was painted on, clearly because I was in a rush but I remember seeing a lot of teal colors. I wanted to revisit this site to see what the mural symbolized this spring break. It is a mural name “Earth Memories” and the artist is Eva Cockcroft. The mural portrays the evolution timeline from the formation of planets, early mammals, and the people of today. The mural took up a whole street which was interesting to look at because it makes you think for a while how everything began and how advanced we are now. From the time where only dinosaurs existed to now where there is pollution everywhere. It makes you think if the world has changed in a positive way or not. As I was walking past different kinds of paintings in the museum, one painting in particular stood out to me the most. The painting, called “Head of Christ,” looked just like another picture of Jesus, but the closer I got to the painting, the more I saw the details within the frames. The work of art I chose to visit for this post is the “Head of Christ” painting located in the Getty Museum in Los Angeles. Correggio painted this painting around the year 1530. |
AuthorWe will be looking at different forms of art and their reproduction in our digital age. We're also interested in how one text can change the interpretation of another. ArchivesCategories |