Tag Archives: #WalterBenjamin

blog 3

Posted on January 29, 2013 by | Comments Off on blog 3

brazil

@samai14

I found this image in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is very unique and it has a beautiful view of the sunset/sunrise. With this image I can really imagine myself in this image. I can hear the traffic, the people talking, and the honks. I picture myself squint my eyes because the sun is bright and shinning. The sunrise in particular makes the image come to life, which is what Walter Benjamin was basically trying to say on the article. “Since the eye perceives more swiftly than the hand can draw, the process of pictorial reproduction was accelerated so enormously that it could keep pace with speech”.  (section 1, paragraph 2).

The sunset in this image is an example of what Walter talks about “If, while resting on a summer afternoon, you follow with your eyes a mountain range on the horizon or a branch which casts its shadow over you, you experience the aura of those mountains, of that branch.” (section 3, paragraph 2) Walter wants you to experience the image as if you were in that place in that moment, he wants you to enjoy and explore the details. Like I said before he wants you to bring the picture to life.

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Blog Post #3 via Colosseo, Roma

Posted on January 29, 2013 by | Comments Off on Blog Post #3 via Colosseo, Roma

colosseum romaColosseo

@YakustaLeader4

With regards to Walter Benjamin’s “The Work or Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, the images above both represent perception and aura. For perception, first look at the bottom photo, then look at the top one. In the bottom picture there is not much to perceive by because there is not any distortions or anything weird about it. But, when you look at the top picture, then the perception gets all weird and distorted. The Colosseum in both pictures is very visible and recognizable. However, everthing around it is very distorted in the top picture, where as the bottom picture, nearlly everything is visible.

For the aura of this piece, it works very well for the pictures referencing something historical. In the bottom picture, it has a very calm aura; not many clouds, sunny, probably cool. For the top picture, it is very focused on the Colosseum as the center piece, with its surroundings having a distorted aura. But, like the bottom picture, the top also is on a sunny day, with no clouds at all. Also, there is tradition within these pictures as well. For the Colosseum, it was very popular during the Roman Era, with its chariot races and gladiators.

With all that in mind, the pictures above very well represent Walter Benjamin’s concept of art and some of the meanings behind certain pieces.

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Blog 3: Google Map Image and Walter Benjamin

Posted on January 29, 2013 by | Comments Off on Blog 3: Google Map Image and Walter Benjamin

snow

@PerrinKyla

In Walter Benjamin’s article, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” he describes that man made artifacts could always be imitated (Pg. 2). This is a Google map image of Kelso Valley Road in Weldon, California. This picture can probably be imitated in many different cities around the world. It’s seen that there is a small road that probably doesn’t get much traffic. There is snow all over the ground and rocks surrounding the small road. Benjamin’s article states that “works of art are received and valued on different planes.” (Pg. 5). The value of this photograph could be seen as nothing but in my personal opinion it is beautiful. Before photography there was lithography which enabled art to illustrate everyday life but I’m not sure that lithography could have produced a photograph like this as well as the technology we have today for photography does. Some could say that the “aura” of this photograph is peaceful and calming, while others could say that this picture’s “aura” is gloomy or cold. This piece could be seen as art due to the scenery aspect of the photo but most of the time the artistic performance is portrayed by the cameraman or photographer. “Man can represent his environment” (pg.11), Walter Benjamin may have been talking about film but this statement can apply to the perspectives seen in this photograph by the observers. It is important that people become more open minded in order to see meanings behind modern art or even to create their own meanings of what the scenery’s aura could be.

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