Read the Walter Benjamin's essay 'The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction'. Write a 300 word analysis of one work of Graphic Design, that you think relates to the themes of the text, and employing quotes, concepts and terminology from the text
Franz Ferdinand Album Cover.
Walter Benjamin’s essay ‘ the work of art in the Age of Mechanical reproduction has its basis in the superstructure transforming the substructure. What this is saying is that modern perceptions of art have changed over time. The modern world is that of technology and thus has the ability of reproduction it is this reproduction that destroys the fundamentals of art. As well as the ability to reproduce through forms of print, photography, Benjamin believes is also a reproduction of perfection or the aura. According to Benjamin original art has an ‘aura’. What the aura means to Benjamin is that of perfection, originality something that is highly sort after, and out of reach.
The piece
of work I have decided to focus on in this essay is that of the Franz Ferdinand
album cover. It is these albums covers that are an exact reproduction of the constructivist
piece of design by Rodchenko. This work by Rodchenko was a major part of the artwork of the
Russian revolution designed to communicate to the masses through simplicity. It
can be said that many constructivist artist, have since been reproduced.
Benjamin would say that the aura the Redchenko’s original work possessed has
since been “shriveled”. What Benjamin means by this that the tradition of art
has been shattered as soon as Franz Ferdinand album cover was mass-produced;
the constructivist design was available to the masses, instead of a select few
and thus out of its original context.
Benjamin
would say that as soon as the Redenchos work was mass produced 'the quality of it's presence (aura) was depreciated'. It is
common fact that modern age has resulted in the ability of mass production and
for art to be available to the masses. When the work, Benjamin would say is out
of context it completely changes its meanings “shattering its tradition” and
destroying the aura it once possessed
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