Walter Benjamin’sIdeas on the Mechanical Age

& Art

By Theresa Beardshear

Who, Benjamin? A German cultural critique, philosopher and a Marxist by the name of Walter Benjamin wrote an essay at the time when Hitler had not yet came into power. He had been born an Ashkenazi Jew. There were many individuals that influenced him toward Marxist thinking. This is some of what he thought.

The Mechanical Age

• Walter Benjamin felt that the new innovations that had made it possible to mass produce would have critical affects on Art.

Beginning of Printmaking

• Woodcut was the first type of printmaking process. It was good, but it was not as good as an original great piece of art.

Printmaking

• He claimed that reproduction had always been possible, but with the new advances now art could be reproduced in far greater quantities than ever before.

The “Aura” of Art

• Benjamin felt that great art had a “aura” that was similar to how the mountains cast a shadow on those that are close to them. This “aura” made people want to get close to the object.

Losing the “Aura”

• With all the advances in mass production, and the quality that photography and film had brought, it was evident that

art would lose it’s “aura” according to Benjamin.

Mass production and photography brought art close.

Art an Rituals• Religion used art in many

rituals according to Benjamin. In the past statues had been used in many pagan religious rituals. That the use of art in these rituals had mostly disappeared according to Benjamin.

Pagan Statues

Art and PoliticsSince art would no longer have a use in ritual, and it would lose it’s “aura” because of photography, film and mass production it would become a tool of politics.

Art becoming common

• Now with mass production things that had once held a great mysterious presence would become common place, it’s beauty could seen much more easily.

Nothing of Great Value

• His Belief was that because of mass production that all things would not be of any real value, and that material things would lose value and valuable things would become common place.

World War II

• Benjamin moved several places to try and escape the Nazis, but was arrested in France because he was a German Jew and had lost his citizenship. He was imprisoned in a French concentration camp.

Walter Benjamin’s life

• Walter Benjamin wrote many essays and had influence in Marxist ideas. There were many individuals that motivated him in this direction. When he believed that he would turned over to the Nazis he ended his life with a overdose of morphine.

Walter Benjamin’s Life andIdeas

The EndBy

Theresa Beardshear