When something is reproduced for so many times is that art? What’s the importance of the mechanical reproducible of the art? What was the impact on mechanical reproducibility on the society?
In my personal opinion art is more than just the final image, it’s the intangible qualities that make it something special, as William Benjamin said “ Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be”. We are able to look at reproductions and admire the great beauty of the original work of art, however it is not the same as standing in front of the original. You may be able to copy the lines of a painting but you can not reproduce the artist emotions that went into their piece
Although a reproduction can not fully compare to an original piece of work there is much value behind this skill, the ability to have a piece of work exposed all over the world. Being able to share art on a global scale not only allows us to experience different cultures but also have work appreciated worldwide. However there is also a darker side to reproducing, it has created a whole underground market place or illegal counterfeiting, where not only is this wrong on a morel level but also can be extremely dangerous not only to the people involved in the market, as much counterfeiting is done by organized crime, but can potentially be dangerous to the customers. With counterfeit goods there is no safety regulation so you as the customer has no idea what has been used to create your product; for example toxic chemicals being used as finishes on anything from artwork to clothing products. Reproductions can be culturally enhancing as well as a dangerous endeavor
Is photography art, or contribution to the art? Is it just a tool used by artists?
As a paintbrush and canvas is to a painter is a camera to a photographer each elements on their own are just one piece to a puzzle its only once the artist picks up a brush that he is able to create his masterpiece, likewise with a photographer and his camera. Each part is indispensable and the final product would be unable to material without the relationship the artist has with his medium. To question the value of photography verse any other art form is a subjective, one of my favorite photographer David Lachapelle in my eyes is a phenomenal artist, from his elaborate sets, to interesting thought provoking concepts. Regardless of if you agree or disagree one thing is clear that anybody who is pushing limits, trying new things, being creative are contributing to the landscape that is art How and why Henry Peach Robinson created Fading Away? What was the reason?
Henry Peach Robinson “Fading Away” was created in 1858 by assembling five negatives into one piece. The theme of the piece is the death of a young girl and her grieving family. Robinson was a pioneer in photography, what he did was something that had never been seen with photography at the time. He paved the way for photography to be accepted and looked at as more of a creative art form then simply just the act of capturing a small part of life, he was in fact telling a story (fictional) in photo.
Photography has impacted the world of art and influenced some changes in the area of accessibility to art. If mechanical reproduction created revolution, what is happening now with the digitalization?
Just as mechanical reproduction created a revolution so is digitalization. In the age of digital not only is the speed at witch we can produce images the fastest it has ever been, we are able to manipulate images in a way we have never been able to before. One of the largest impacts digitalization creates is the ability to share images at a speed of light rate, we use to rely solely on news reports to find out what world events were taking place, now with cell phones and the internet we can watch events unfold in real time. This is a huge change and sift in our society with the reproductions this can have, some may see it as “giving power to the people”. The events of 2010 G20 summit in Toronto come to mind, individuals there were able to document and share (in real time) the experiences of being in the action. What are possibly much more powerful is the in many cases where there is a disputes on if individual rights were being violated or allegations of police were using brutal force there is video evidence of the actual events. We are in a time much different than much of past history, we have the ability to share on a global level with one click of the mouse, as a society we have to respect this ability and understand the impact it has.