Question 1: If mechanical reproduction has, as Benjamin asserts, done away with the "aura" and the "ritual" long associated with art, then how has this influenced the democratization of popular art? Is a perfect print of "Starry Night Over the Rhone" or the work of any popular contemporary artist radically different than whatever decoration was common before Mechanical reproduction, and has this led to a larger intrusion of the "fine arts" into the popular consciousness?
Question 2: Has the advent of instantaneous mass-dissemination of media, and the subsequent individualization of that consumption made possible by the internet made fears of art being used to shape public perception obsolete or more pressing?
Your second question goes a further towards engaging the reader although both of your questions are a bit too broad. Work on focusing these responses to develop questions that truly engage us with deep thinking in regard to the readings.
ReplyDeletejoseph