Walter Benjamin: "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction"

"The film responds to the shriveling of the aura with an artificial build-up of the 'personality' outside the studio. The cult of the movie star, fostered by the money of the film industry, preserves not the unique aura of the person but the 'spell of the personality,' the phony spell of a commodity" (p. 231)


What Walter Benjamin is expressing here is that their is no longer aura in acting. In theater actors interacted with the audience but in movies actors interacts with the camera. So then what is viewed by the movie watchers is not present in time or authentic. Also that movies gives a personality that is based on movie role not the individual. Then people become memorized by the movie start persona and the commodities surrounding movies. 


I chose this quote because he is expressing the very problem we seem to be caught in but its because of this delusional aura we have so many magazines and paparazzi. I just wanted to add to this that movies change the Aura of the actors as well because of the money associated with the industry. Its tragic that this artificial build up will not seize or diminish no time to come.


1. What is the difference between cult value and exhibition value in art? How does Benjamin see these values in relation to politics?
the cult value of art supports social order by making it seem mystical tended to dominate, but reproduction of art in ever greater numbers has caused this to shift so much, that the defining quality of art now tends to emphasize exhibition value over cult value. The cult value refers to its status in magic and rituals; exhibition value refers to the content or the "information" contained within the piece, literally by showing or exhibiting it. They expose the contradictions within the economic and social system not by statistical arguments but by depicting human suffering, and to give expression to groups and individuals who normally would not be able to express themselves 


2. What is the difference between Erfahrung and Erlebnisse? How does it relate to art?

Eefahrung means the integrated experience and Erlebnisse is the isolated experience, they relate to art because Benjamin calls them the two experience one can have with art. Integrated experience establishes a continuity or connection between experiences, while isolated experience sees no connection between one experience and another.

3. Explain some of the positive and negative effects of the destruction of the "aura" in art.

the destruction of aura cause celeberityhood and an artificial personality is build up around the actor. destruction of aura lessens the bond between artist and audience. It creates a new look or study of movement and issues facing humanity.

4. How would you judge or evaluate the impact of forms of mass culture like film in contemporary life? Have they changed human perception? Are they are important part of creating political consciousness in the public?

I feel like mass culture was a very and still is a very important way of how people interact and the human experience. I is a model though not always positive but it has be through films and photography people mimic how they dress and behave, what they want and what they would like to change. The human perception has defiantly change and mass culture will continue to mold peoples perception of the world around them. It is most defiantly an important part of creating political consciousness in the public because people are visual learners whren the see something they are more likely to be compelled to action in contrast to hearing about something.