WEEK 3: Robotics + Art

While talking about the way mechanical reproduction of art affects people's responses to the art, Walter Benjamin opines that the art form of painting shows signs of a "crisis" when painters begin creating art while being cognizant of the fact that large masses might collectively view them in the way an audience views films (Benjamin, 1936). Unpacking this opinion makes it seem like Benjamin is suggesting that painters feel forced to modify their work if it can be reproduced and sent across the world. This is interesting but I do not agree with the premise of the argument which is that painters keep individual viewers' reactions in mind while making their paintings. Take for example an artist like Salvador Dali who created paintings after the ability to reproduce and distribute art came about - while Dali might have wanted to engender a strong reaction from people, the final idea regarding the painting is one that comes about from his own thoughts and experiences. In fact, there is a meta argument to be made that wanting a certain reaction from the audience is merely a reflection of what the artist desires without a painting in the first place - the painting below is apparently autobiographical for Dali (Wikiart). 


"The Great Masturbator" by Salvador Dali

The mechanical reproduction of art can also help artists communicate views which are perhaps unacceptable in their geographical bubble. Consider the case of writers like Salman Rushdie whose book Satanic Verses caused massive uproar among certain religious groups but was revered in nations across the world (History.com). In opposition to Walter Benjamin, this phenomenon suggests that artists in fact might have to worry less about their audience's reaction given that the larger viewership of their art concedes the possibility of a diversity of views rather than only polar reactions.


David Letterman reviews Satanic Verses in 1989

Reproduction of art thus seems to empower artists. In the movie Can You Ever Forgive Me, we see a woman who doctors letters seemingly written by authors of the 1800s and fans of the authors enjoy the letters more than the original because of the lead character's writing ability. Art can certainly be reproduced and received with love as is also seen in renditions of Shakespeare's work into modern movies like Haider (Javed, 2021). 



Can You Ever Forgive Me poster


Benjamin, Walter. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” 1936.

“The Great Masturbator, 1929 - Salvador Dali.” Www.wikiart.org, 1 Jan. 1970, https://www.wikiart.org/en/salvador-dali/the-great-masturbator-1929.

“Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini Calls on Muslims to Kill Salman Rushdie, Author of ‘The Satanic Verses.’” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 30 Oct. 2019, https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/salman-rushdie-satanic-verses-fatwa-iran.

Javed, Fatimah. “Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider: A Comparative Analysis.” Cogent Arts; Humanities, vol. 8, no. 1, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1080/23311983.2021.1994113.

Dali, Salvador. The Great Masturbator. 1929.

“David Letterman Show.” 1989.

Heller, Marielle, director. Can You Ever Forgive Me. 2018.





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