Read the Walter
Benjamin's essay 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction'. Write
a 300 word analysis of one work of Graphic Design, that you think relates to
the themes of the text, and employing quotes, concepts and terminology from the
text.
The essay can be
found online here.http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm
Definition:
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TASK
After reading
through the essay the piece of graphic design that I though was the most
relevant was the iconic poster "Keep Calm and Carry On" The poster
was originally produced during the war in 1938 as a way of boosting peoples
morale. It was only recently that someone found a copy of the original poster
and it was from then on that so many copies of the poster were reproduced.
One of the
points raised in the essay is the term "aura" saying that once a
piece of work has been reproduced the aura of the art work is lost, "the
technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the domain of
tradition". Although the reproduced posters are certainly like the
original they don't mean the same thing and don't have the same essence as the
original as "it's presence in time and space, it's unique existence at the
pace where it happens to be". The posters no longer hold the history and
importance as those that were produced in 1938, they mean something completely
different now. The posters do come across in a way of controlling society, in
the sense that they order people to 'Keep Calm', in the middle of a financial
crisis everyone is expected to ignore what is happening and simply 'Carry on'.
A form of control by the government but the posters have been manipulated so
much by the public that it would appear that the masses have control of what is
happening.
At the same time
it could be argued that "Mechanical reproduction of a work of art, however
represents something new" The whole reason the posters were so popular was
because of the credit crunch, they were produced too boost peoples morale much
like those made during the war. Although they're not the original they still
have a relevant purpose.
The poster almost has a "cult value"
about it, it has a social value about it, as it isn't just place in a gallery
or museum for a minority of people to see, it is easily accessible to everyone,
and this is only because of reproduction. The print was never made as a piece
of art it was always made to be viewed by the public and this is what is
happening today.
What makes the posters more iconic is the number
of people who have gone ahead and recreated the poster in a similar style but
added their own quotes. It goes to show just recognisable the posters are.
The essay can be
found online here.http://www.marxists.org/reference/subject/philosophy/works/ge/benjamin.htm
Definition:
Walter Benjamin's 1935 essay
"The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" begins with
the assumption that the very definition of art is flexible, varying
in response to the historical conditions of its production, distribution,
and reception. The essay addresses a modern, technologically effected
transformation in the nature of art, and the political implications
of that transformation. Prior to the advent of methods of reproduction such
aslithography, photography, sound recording, and film, a work of
art was a unique object or performance that could not be experienced except by
audience members willing to make a pilgrimage to the artwork's
location. The artwork had an aura, that is, a property of distance from
the observer whatever the spatial proximity of the two, which necessitated its
being actively pursued via contemplation, yet precluded its ever being
fully understood, except by its creator, who had imbued it with its aura in the
first place. These rituals of pilgrimage and contemplation were a form of worship that
acknowledged the artwork's cult value, and the unique communion
between the artwork and the artist led to the elevation of the latter to the
status of genius. Due to its cult value, a product of its unique
existence, the art object had value in and of itself, and was in many cases
moderately to extremely inaccessible to any who might wish to view it.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TASK
After reading
through the essay the piece of graphic design that I though was the most
relevant was the iconic poster "Keep Calm and Carry On" The poster
was originally produced during the war in 1938 as a way of boosting peoples
morale. It was only recently that someone found a copy of the original poster
and it was from then on that so many copies of the poster were reproduced.
One of the
points raised in the essay is the term "aura" saying that once a
piece of work has been reproduced the aura of the art work is lost, "the
technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the domain of
tradition". Although the reproduced posters are certainly like the
original they don't mean the same thing and don't have the same essence as the
original as "it's presence in time and space, it's unique existence at the
pace where it happens to be". The posters no longer hold the history and
importance as those that were produced in 1938, they mean something completely
different now. The posters do come across in a way of controlling society, in
the sense that they order people to 'Keep Calm', in the middle of a financial
crisis everyone is expected to ignore what is happening and simply 'Carry on'.
A form of control by the government but the posters have been manipulated so
much by the public that it would appear that the masses have control of what is
happening.
At the same time
it could be argued that "Mechanical reproduction of a work of art, however
represents something new" The whole reason the posters were so popular was
because of the credit crunch, they were produced too boost peoples morale much
like those made during the war. Although they're not the original they still
have a relevant purpose.
The poster almost has a "cult value"
about it, it has a social value about it, as it isn't just place in a gallery
or museum for a minority of people to see, it is easily accessible to everyone,
and this is only because of reproduction. The print was never made as a piece
of art it was always made to be viewed by the public and this is what is
happening today.
What makes the posters more iconic is the number
of people who have gone ahead and recreated the poster in a similar style but
added their own quotes. It goes to show just recognisable the posters are.
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