sawsaw Benjamin

In Benjamin's writing I found his comparisons between different centuries value of art and how "mechanical" our art has become in today's society to be interesting. The quote on page 29 really stood out to me, "Mechanical reproduction of art changes the reaction of the masses toward art." This quote is talking about the different affect mechanical reproduction has on people who are opposed to the more traditional production of art. I think this quote is talking about how art is affected by technology and how a mass of people view mechanical art different from ancient art forms. Most people define art as painting, drawing, sculpting or photography. We think of art in its traditional forms and compare it to works by Picasso or Monte. What Benjamin is trying to convey in his writing is that art comes in many forms and we as a society must consider film, television, graphics and many more modern technologies as being art. We must critically analyze film and television as art forms and determine the purpose and point for their existence.