Walter Benjamin (1928-1940) believes in food for thoughts

P. Alessandro Polito - CLIL lesson

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In “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” (1936), Benjamin discusses the differences between the work of art developed in the past and the contemporary one.

Walter Benjamin’s essay

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A work of art of the past has cult value when its location in time and space is unique. Art is not simply available to everyone. If you want to see the Mona Lisa, you have to go to the Louvre Museum in Paris. Thus, according to Benjamin, enjoying a work of art as well as attending a rite is the same thing: the aura is the uniqueness of work of art, embedded in the fabric of tradition.

A work of art of the past

Leonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519)The Mona Lisa

1503-1506 (perhaps continuing until 1517)oil on poplar panel

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On the contrary, mechanical reproduction of Mona Lisa - like an image on a book of Art History - has not cult value, yet exhibition value that makes of this image a mass cultural activity.

Mechanical reproduction

Andy Warhol (1928-1987)Colored Mona Lisa1963silkscreen inks and graphite on canvas

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According to Benjamin, “even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art lacks in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be”. Mechanical reproduction of Mona Lisa is just a copy without aura: “the presence of the original is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity”.

Just a copy without aura

Andy Warhol (1928-1987)Thirty are better than one

1963synthetic polymer paint and silkscreen ink on canvas

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Photography and film are designed for reproducibility and the criterion for authenticity ceases to apply to new artistic production. The aura of the work of art decays in the era of mechanical reproduction: changes have real effects on society. This is not only a quantitative shift but also qualitative: art is viewed and interpreted in new way. Mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of art from rite and the function of art changes: politics, instead of ritual, must use photos and films as food for thoughts of masses.

Food for thoughts

Final question

Has an Andy Warhol’s silkscreen cult value or not?

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aura, the distinctive atmosphere or quality associated, according to Benjamin, with a work of art.

exhibition value, the value of a work - beyond a fixed location - redistributed in a more accessible way through mechanical reproduction.

authenticity, the quality of being genuine or not corrupted from the original.

cult value, the value of an artistic production placed in a specific location (cave paintings or works in a museum) designated to experiencing the work.

Benjamin’s keywordswork of art, mechanical reproduction, aura, authenticity, tradition, artistic function, exhibition value, cult value

Walter Benjamin

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reproduction, the act of making copies.

Marxist, a person who follows the political and economic theories of Karl Marx.

exhibit, an object or a collection of objects put in a public place, e.g. a museum, so that people can see it.

reproducibility, the quality of being reproducible.

Glossary

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shift, a change in opinion, mood, policy, etc.

artwork, synonym of work of art but it may also refer to preparatory material used to transfer an image onto a substrate. Modern artwork may be stored electronically.

uniqueness, the quality of being very special or unusual.

work of art, (plural: works of art), a painting, statue; a piece of art (or art object).

politics, the activities of the government or people who try to influence the way a country is governed.

Useful expressions

P. Alessandro Polito - CLIL lesson

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Useful expressions

(The philosopher) assumes that…(The philosopher) believes that…(The philosopher) considers that…(The philosopher) thinks that…(The philosopher) supposes that…(The philosopher) understands that…

(The philosopher) conceives…(The philosopher) designs…(The philosopher) imagines…(The philosopher) plans…(The philosopher) affirms that…(The philosopher) argues that…(The philosopher) asserts that…(The philosopher) formulates…(The philosopher) maintains that…(The philosopher) points out …

(The philosopher) says that…(The philosopher) states that…

(The philosopher) speaks about…(The philosopher) tells…

(The philosopher) reflects…(The philosopher) rejects…

According to (the philosopher)…

In my opinion/view… I want to argue that…

Common abbreviations

e.g, exempli gratia, for example

i.e, id est, that is

sb, somebody

sth, something

Nouns&Adjectives bank

argumentationbookconceptdoctrineessayfield of inquiryknowledgelanguageopinionphilosophyproblempropositionreasoning

researchsentencestatementsystemtheorythought thinking

basiccorefundamentalgeneral

Auguste Rodin, The Thinker, 1880-1904, bronze sculpture

Task, Links, Questions & Books

P. Alessandro Polito - CLIL lesson

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Final Task

Students will prepare a PowerPoint (working in teams) in which explain, using appropriate terms, a modern/contemporary work of art from: Centre Pompidou - Paris; Mumok - Wien; National Gallery - Prague.

Useful links

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/topic/art?level=b2

https://translate.google.it

https://languagetool.org/http://www.roadtogrammar.com/textanalysis/

Museums

Centre Pompidou - Paris: https://www.centrepompidou.fr/en/Collections/Masterpieces

Mumok - Wien: https://www.mumok.at/en/collection-focuses

National Gallery - Prague: https://sbirky.ngprague.cz/en/katalog

Questions

Did you work alone or with your classmates?Who are they?Which part of this text did you write?Which work of art did you choose?Why do you choose it?Where is it? (In which museum can we find it?)Which is the core thinking of the philosopher you connect with this work?

Essential books

Simon Blackburn, Dictionary of Philosophy, OxfordAndrew Bowie, German Philosophy, OxfordTom Butler-Bowdon, 50 Philosophy Classics, Nicholas Brealey PublishingLeslie Cameron-Curry, Clil. Philosophy in English, PearsonLesley Levene, I Think, Therefore I am, Michael O’Mara Books LimitedThomas Mautner, Dictionary of Philosophy, PenguinThe School of Life, Great Thinkers, The School of Life

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For the text: © P. Alessandro Polito, 2020 For the images: © Rights Owners