Development of Technologies and Introduction †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Development of Technologies and Introduction. Answer: Introduction: In the respective essay The work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, Walter Benjamin shed a light on ways in which human perception was influenced by the development of technologies and introduction of the new medium of expressions like films and photography. Today the visual works of art underwent a sea change with the advent of phenomenal development in technologies and digital medium of expression. Perception is now presented in a unique way to achieve universal appeal. It has been further studied from the research article on the pioneer pictorial photographer Henry Peach Robinson, that presenting imagination in photography with aesthetic appeal to achieve timelessness like the popular painting was a unique approach and became popular in his time ("Masters of Photography - Henry Peach Robinson", 2017). He was the first artist to blend artistic appeal into photography with the help of unique technology. He made use of multiple negatives to create a unique single image whi ch is often identified as the predecessor of the photomontage technique. Thus, at a very early age of photography, he made use of available technology to represent his imagination. In the later age though Benjamin criticised stating that with advancement towards film and photography the mechanical reproduction of art lost its original aura of imagination represented through the camera. Thus, while few supported that mechanical support was needed to present art and photography in a much better way and the works of Robinson sings the tale of this pioneering attempt. Several argued against it ("Henry Peach Robinson | British photographer", 2017). When something is reproduced for so many times is that art? What's the importance of the mechanical reproducibility of the art? What was the impact on mechanical reproducibility on the society? In relation to this point, thinker Benjamin pointed out that multiple representations of the art work reduces the original appeal of the creation and transforms it into a mass product for mass consumption. Mechanical support has helped to transform art into a product and sells to earn revenue. For example, the work of art of Raja Ravi Verma in the late nineteenth century became popular in the consumer market and his creation of images of deities was hung on the walls of the Indian homes and worshipped on daily basis. The aesthetic art journey he considered to represent Gods through paintings soon got lost under the techniques of mass production through mechanical advancement (PEIM, 2010). The richness of art and the originality of his creation were lost with the removal of authority and thus support Benjamins argument here on liberation as a moss of authority in regards to mass consumption and transforming great works of art into popular images. Society today successfully made use of mechanical reproducibility and multiplied production of photographs or artworks in copied form. This has in a way led to the loss of the charm of the original work and also affected the aesthetic intensity of the creative pursuit. Is photography art, or contribution to the art? Is it just a tool used by artists? Is photography art, or contribution to the art is a debatable question that has triggered argument since the inception of photography. Iconic photographers like Henry Peach Robinson was identified as the pictorial photographer and a founder of pictorial photography, while others argued that photographs should be developed from photography techniques (Krages, 2012). Photographic creations from Henry Cartier-Bresson, Enrich Salomon took photography to the next level. While initial photography and pictorial photographs were mostly inspired by paintings of the previous times, and in the case of Robinson was influenced by Pre-Raphaelites painting. Thus various forms and techniques were involved to delineate the imagination of the photographer through lenses and technology and hence enriched the art world. Artists make use of various tools and techniques in the present world and represent their creative pursuit on paper or digital medium. How and why Henry Pitch Robinson created Fading Away? What was the reason? The epoch-making pictorial delight by Henry Peach Robinson Fade Away, was a unique picture skilfully printed from five different negatives to depict the pain of the family as they silently suffer and watch the peaceful death of a young girl (Wullen, Derenthal, Harder Ku?hn, 2010). The grieving family and death of the girl was an idea conceived and presented from his imagination in a most beautiful way in an age when he had limited support from technology. He transformed his imagination into photo art through using five different negatives, an approach which was later used in photomontage technique to tastefully present the poetry of approaching death in a most painful yet aesthetic way (Olson, 2011). If mechanical reproduction created revolution, what is happening now with the 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? According to Benjamin, mechanical reproduction of artwork leads to the creation of something new and unique. The rapid digitisation of art in the present times is a continuation of what was introduced and argued by Benjamin in the essay in 1936. The present-day mechanism has made distributing art simpler. The process of reproduction enhanced. Today Van Goghs starry night could be seen on the internet from any remote location. The individual no longer has to travel down to the great gallery in Paris or invest in expensive books of art. One could even download the image of Starry Night almost free of cost and even use it as a reference and play with the similar palette on software like Photoshop to create digital art work from Van Goghs classic ("Masters of Photography - Henry Peach Robinson", 2017). The physical barriers of great art works have decreased with time and digital medium have armed non-artists to use the tools and voice their imagination in a picturesque manner. Today, if someone lacks the skill of painting or sketch, could easily make use of various digital technologies and present his imagination in an aesthetic manner. Digital mechanism has liberated art and empowered several artists. People with low skill set could use this technological support and create unique art works. Limitations and barriers in art world have reduced with time since the development of mechanical reproduction. Though, it has been time and again argued that multiple reproduction leads to loss of original aura and the authentic charm of the classic work and even thinkers like Abel Gance compared modern films and photographic attempts with Egyptian hieroglyphs that were pictorial language for communication without any aesthetic base ("Henry Peach Robinson | British photographer", 2017). Though a group of classical artists refuse to respect and accept new attempts and initiative considered by photographers since ages. For example, the famous England based photographer and the l eader of Pictorialist movement, Henry Peach Robinsons works too faced severe criticism and photographer Henry Emerson mentioned that photographic images should never be altered after exposure, yet he remained as one of the most influential pictorial photographers of all time and is still remembered and referred for uniqueness and innovative approaches in photography (PEIM, 2010). References Henry Peach Robinson | British photographer. (2017).Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 22 September 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Peach-Robinson Henry Peach Robinson | British photographer. (2017).Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 22 September 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Peach-Robinson#ref12958 Krages, B. (2012).Photography. New York: Constable Robinson. Masters of Photography - Henry Peach Robinson. (2017).YouTube. Retrieved 22 September 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEA79UkCnbg Olson, T. (2011). Reproductive Horror: Sixteenth-Century Mexican Pictures in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.Oxford Art Journal,34(3), 449-469. https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxartj/kcr041 PEIM, N. (2010). Walter Benjamin in the Age of Digital Reproduction: Aura in Education: A Rereading of The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.Journal Of Philosophy Of Education,41(3), 363-380. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9752.2007.00579.x Wullen, M., Derenthal, L., Harder, M., Ku?hn, C. (2010).Museum of Photography. Leipzig: E.A. Seeman.