Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Authenticity of Art and its importance
Today in tutorial we had a long discussion about art and its originality in relation to the Walter Benjamin reading. We discussed in particular how the original is exclusive and authentic and how when it is mechanically reproduced it becomes political. This is indeed true and often when art becomes politicized in such a way that the original As Benjamin would put it, diminishes in aura, it loses its authenticity. My post here is to agree and disagree with Benjamin's statement. An obvious example supporting this idea that the aura diminishes which we used in class today was Marcel Duchamp drawing a mustache on a print of the Mona Lisa. Clearly this acts as a political statement of protest against the current conventions of art and after Duchamp's doing, several caricatures and phonies appeared which devalued the classic image of the Mona Lisa. originally this image was reproduced to democratically spread this exclusive image to the masses.... this too could devalue it's aura, however these images were still collected out of respect for a beautiful picture. those who treat these copies in the manner that Duchamp did, on the other hand completely change the manner in which a culture perceives a certain famous image. I know that I can find as many caricatures as I can find prints of this image. Although I find many of the caricatures to be funny and some to be quite artistic I must admit that indeed they distract society from the image's original purpose and thus it can diminish the aura of the Mona Lisa. It takes away from Da Vinci's original context and so diminishes the aura of the original in terms of society's perception of it. However I find this to be specific to the situation of making phonies as a political statement. Regular mechanically reproduced images exist in homes all over the world and they are convenient for reviewing an appreciated image. Correct me if im wrong but Benjamin claims that this fact diminishes the aura and destroys the authenticity of a work of art because it becomes politically aestheticized. to an extent I agree because mass producing anything will naturally create a cultural popularity for something, however I do not believe that this destroys the authenticity of a work of art. Perhaps the reproduced copies lack authenticity, but I feel as though the original cant lose its authenticity or aura so easily. I've studied art for about 4 years now and I lived in Italy for a year and while I was there I was fortunate enough to witness many works of art in their original, authentic context. I tell you truly that some of the most empowering emotional experiences of my life occured in rooms where I stood alone with a work of art. never did I feel like these beautiful works have had there authenticity destroyed.... or at least not while you experience it live.... there is something different about a live experience that takes one far beyond the realm of the print... you experience the intrinsic value that the artist sought for you to experience... you experience the passion that they laboured into it and for a moment you can even be free from political statements (although with some works this is very difficult). And now when I see the prints of these images, I can still appreciate them but I know these petty pieces of film do not do the original justice... it is the mechanically reproduced images themselves that lack authenticity... the originals maintain their aura . When you are in the room with these works you experience the artist's original intentions. Perhaps the Mona Lisa is not a perfect example for this second point as she is often crammed in a room with a ZILLION tourists... but if youve ever had an intimate experience with art in a chapel of a church or in an intimate gallery perhaps you know what I mean. Sometimes an experience with art can bring us beyond what we could have expected it to do when it is real, when it is live, when it is truly authentic.
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I think the idea of the very observation experience itself is quite interesting, and I thought I would just share some of my reflections on Bruce’s post. I think there are many elements of the observation experience of a work of art that when combined can elevate the experience, and thus the art piece itself, into something that can be interpreted as meaningful by the viewer. For example, one of the most memorable experiences for me when I was in Rome three years ago was a visit to Sant’Ignazio di Loyola church in which there were, surprisingly little to no other tourists clogging the building so the infrastructure was visible in its entirety. The staff members of the church were also preparing for mass, and one individual began playing the organ. At that moment I looked up at the trompe d’oeil fresco on the ceiling and I was truly in absolute awe of the beauty of my surroundings, and I must confess (no pun intended), the experience felt somewhat ‘spiritual’, though I do not identify with any sort of belief, religious or spiritual. Synchronicity thus plays a large role in whether a piece is well or poorly received. There are many deeper, structural aspects that directly influence the viewing experience, e.g. the placement of this fresco on the ceiling in addition to its religious content and context inevitably required the viewer to look up, thus leading to a quasi-religious/spiritual experience, at least in my case. Whereas being able to hold what you know is one of many copies and situate it in your very home diminishes the ‘grandeur’ of the idea of the work of art.
ReplyDeleteI also want to expand on the idea of the ‘idea of a work of art,’ and I hope this isn’t too random of a tangent because I tend to do that a lot. I personally think that one of the reasons why the original artwork is cherished more than a copy, reproduced mechanically or by hand, is because people identify the original as a site of genius and/or innovation, i.e. the importance is placed on the creation of the piece, which differs from the mere execution of a piece, in that creation entails more than just the physical appearance, it also entails the individual’s unique vision of a scene (i.e. biblical, ancient, etc.) in addition to the subsequent execution of said scene. Thus, the ‘idea of a work of art’ or the ‘vision’ portion of the creation process, is valued more than its mere execution, in a sense. This I think finds itself in modern capitalism, in that privileged and powerful individuals that envision an idea are valued more, i.e. receive a greater status, salary etc. than the people that are hired to execute their idea.
I just wanted to add a few things to what you guys have already said. I agree that an original art work keeps its "aura" for the reasons already stated and because when I am looking at a famous piece of art I can't help but think about the person who created it, and how they actually made the object in front of me. For example, if we are to stick with the Mona Lisa, the main reason why this painting has an aura for me is because it was painted by Leonardo da Vinci. So when I stand there looking at this piece of art I am awed by the fact that I am standing in the same room as something that someone so famous painted with their own hands.
ReplyDeleteAnother example, when I was at the Vatican I was overwhelmed by all the amazing art and beautiful architecture around me, and I personally do not believe that any number of replicas will be able to take away that "aura".
The last thing that I wanted to mention was another thing that came up in the tutorial. Prof. Kalmar said something along the lines of not needing to go see the pyramids because everyone had already seen them. I disagree with this seeing as without going to see the pyramids in person you can never truly experience them. Just looking at a picture will not make you feel the same way that standing there looking up at the pyramids and seeing how truly immense they are does.
As a summary I believe that originals do have a certain "aura", and that this "aura" does not diminish with the creation of replicas, especially when it comes to statues, pyramids or buildings seeing as only being there in person allows you to fully experience their grandeur and their surroundings.