The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Production

Walter Benjamin, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical

The work of art has always been crucial to the development and dissemination of information that relates to the concept and history of a particular artistic work. This is an interesting essay by Walter Benjamin, which explained the transformation in artistic production. The technical reproduction of the artistic work which gave rise to painting, lithography, photography and film production.
The passage I chose is;
"An analysis of art in the age of mechanical reproduction must do justice to these relationships, for they lead us to an all-important insight: for the first time in the world history, mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependence on ritual. To an ever greater degree the work of art reproduced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility.
The passage indicates how the work of art was transformed from ritual art to exhibition art, through the mechanical reproduction. The work of art now become the design for the reproducibility"
 This passage express the growth of art through the mechanical process, which remained an important aspect of the world history concerning the work of art.

1. Cult value is the original value of art work in the form of magic and rituals status. The artistic production base on ceremonial object being use as a cult. While the exhibition value is the production of artistic work by showing the relevant information about a piece of art work.The creation of art through its original form. Benjamin see the value of art as independent in relation to the politics which he says "art for art sake"

2. Erfahrung is a kind of experience called integrated experience, it is the understanding of the historical origin of the artistic object that  we encounter. Its establishes what we called continuity in experience through relativism. Erlebnisse is an experience that is referred to an isolated experience and are usually seen as being unfriendly in nature

3. POSITIVE;The destruction of aura takes away the mystical aspect of art and allow everyone to approach the art in a more realistic way. It also allow everyone to see the universal equality of things and also allow gives room for the mass production of artistic work for the first time.
NEGATIVE; The total function of the artistic work is being reversed an based another practice called politics.

4. The impact of forms of mass culture like films have really changed human perception, the positive destruction of aura which brought the universal equality of things and by also accepting the reproduction of art work.The reproduction of art has brought about pictures, magazines and a form of brief film.