The Impact of Mechanical Reproduction on Photography and Art Forms

This discussion post examines the complex relationship between art and mechanical reproduction, drawing heavily on Walter Benjamin's influential essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." It explores how technological advancements, particularly in photography and digital media, have transformed artistic expression and human perception. The analysis begins with the pioneering work of Henry Peach Robinson, who blended artistic appeal with early photographic techniques, and then contrasts it with Benjamin's critique of mechanical reproduction's impact on the original aura of art. The post delves into the debate surrounding whether photography is art and how mechanical reproduction has influenced society, transforming art into a mass-produced commodity. It also discusses the impact of digitalization on art, highlighting the democratization of art production and accessibility, while also addressing the potential loss of artistic authenticity. The post provides a comprehensive overview of the evolution of art in the age of mechanical and digital reproduction and its effects on the art world.

Photography: Discussion/Presentation:
1 | P a g e

Can art be mechanically reproduced?
In the respective essay “The work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, Walter
Benjamin shed a light on ways in which human perception was influenced by the development of
technologies and introduction of the new medium of expressions like films and photography.
Today the visual works of art underwent a sea change with the advent of phenomenal
development in technologies and digital medium of expression. Perception is now presented in a
unique way to achieve universal appeal. It has been further studied from the research article on
the pioneer pictorial photographer Henry Peach Robinson, that presenting imagination in
photography with aesthetic appeal to achieve timelessness like the popular painting was a unique
approach and became popular in his time ("Masters of Photography - Henry Peach Robinson",
2017). He was the first artist to blend artistic appeal into photography with the help of unique
technology. He made use of multiple negatives to create a unique single image which is often
identified as the predecessor of the photomontage technique. Thus, at a very early age of
photography, he made use of available technology to represent his imagination. In the later age
though Benjamin criticised stating that with advancement towards film and photography the
mechanical reproduction of art lost its original aura of imagination represented through the
camera. Thus, while few supported that mechanical support was needed to present art and
photography in a much better way and the works of Robinson sings the tale of this pioneering
attempt. Several argued against it ("Henry Peach Robinson | British photographer", 2017).
When something is reproduced for so many times is that art? What's the
importance of the mechanical reproducibility of the art? What was the impact
on mechanical reproducibility on the society?
In relation to this point, thinker Benjamin pointed out that multiple representations of the art
work reduces the original appeal of the creation and transforms it into a mass product for mass
consumption. Mechanical support has helped to transform art into a product and sells to earn
revenue. For example, the work of art of Raja Ravi Verma in the late nineteenth century became
2 | P a g e

popular in the consumer market and his creation of images of deities was hung on the walls of
the Indian homes and worshipped on daily basis. The aesthetic art journey he considered to
represent Gods through paintings soon got lost under the techniques of mass production through
mechanical advancement (PEIM, 2010). The richness of art and the originality of his creation
were lost with the removal of authority and thus support Benjamin’s argument here on liberation
as a moss of authority in regards to mass consumption and transforming great works of art into
popular images.
Society today successfully made use of mechanical reproducibility and multiplied production of
photographs or artworks in copied form. This has in a way led to the loss of the charm of the
original work and also affected the aesthetic intensity of the creative pursuit.
Is photography art, or contribution to the art? Is it just a tool used by artists?
“Is photography art, or contribution to the art” is a debatable question that has triggered
argument since the inception of photography. Iconic photographers like Henry Peach Robinson
was identified as the pictorial photographer and a founder of pictorial photography, while others
argued that photographs should be developed from photography techniques (Krages, 2012).
Photographic creations from Henry Cartier-Bresson, Enrich Salomon took photography to the
next level. While initial photography and pictorial photographs were mostly inspired by
paintings of the previous times, and in the case of Robinson was influenced by Pre-Raphaelites
painting. Thus various forms and techniques were involved to delineate the imagination of the
photographer through lenses and technology and hence enriched the art world. Artists make use
of various tools and techniques in the present world and represent their creative pursuit on paper
or digital medium.
How and why Henry Pitch Robinson created Fading Away? What was the
reason?
The epoch-making pictorial delight by Henry Peach Robinson Fade Away, was a unique picture
skilfully printed from five different negatives to depict the pain of the family as they silently
3 | P a g e

suffer and watch the peaceful death of a young girl (Wullen, Derenthal, Harder & Kühn, 2010).
The grieving family and death of the girl was an idea conceived and presented from his
imagination in a most beautiful way in an age when he had limited support from technology. He
transformed his imagination into photo art through using five different negatives, an approach
which was later used in photomontage technique to tastefully present the poetry of approaching
death in a most painful yet aesthetic way (Olson, 2011).
If mechanical reproduction created revolution, what is happening now with
the Photography has impacted the world of art and influenced some changes
in the area of accessibility to art. If mechanical reproduction created
revolution, what is happening now with the digitalization?
According to Benjamin, mechanical reproduction of artwork leads to the creation of something
new and unique. The rapid digitisation of art in the present times is a continuation of what was
introduced and argued by Benjamin in the essay in 1936. The present-day mechanism has made
distributing art simpler. The process of reproduction enhanced. Today Van Gogh’s starry night
could be seen on the internet from any remote location. The individual no longer has to travel
down to the great gallery in Paris or invest in expensive books of art. One could even download
the image of Starry Night almost free of cost and even use it as a reference and play with the
similar palette on software like Photoshop to create digital art work from Van Gogh’s classic
("Masters of Photography - Henry Peach Robinson", 2017). The physical barriers of great art
works have decreased with time and digital medium have armed non-artists to use the tools and
voice their imagination in a picturesque manner. Today, if someone lacks the skill of painting or
sketch, could easily make use of various digital technologies and present his imagination in an
aesthetic manner. Digital mechanism has liberated art and empowered several artists. People
with low skill set could use this technological support and create unique art works. Limitations
and barriers in art world have reduced with time since the development of mechanical
reproduction. Though, it has been time and again argued that multiple reproduction leads to loss
of original aura and the authentic charm of the classic work and even thinkers like Abel Gance
compared modern films and photographic attempts with Egyptian hieroglyphs that were pictorial
4 | P a g e

language for communication without any aesthetic base ("Henry Peach Robinson | British
photographer", 2017). Though a group of classical artists refuse to respect and accept new
attempts and initiative considered by photographers since ages. For example, the famous
England based photographer and the leader of Pictorialist movement, Henry Peach Robinson’s
works too faced severe criticism and photographer Henry Emerson mentioned that
“photographic images should never be altered after exposure”, yet he remained as one of the
most influential pictorial photographers of all time and is still remembered and referred for
uniqueness and innovative approaches in photography (PEIM, 2010).
5 | P a g e

References
Henry Peach Robinson | British photographer. (2017). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 22
September 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Peach-Robinson
Henry Peach Robinson | British photographer. (2017). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 22
September 2017, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Peach-
Robinson#ref12958
Krages, B. (2012). Photography. New York: Constable & Robinson.
Masters of Photography - Henry Peach Robinson. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 22 September
2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEA79UkCnbg
Olson, T. (2011). Reproductive Horror: Sixteenth-Century Mexican Pictures in the Age of
Mechanical Reproduction. Oxford Art Journal, 34(3), 449-469.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oxartj/kcr041
PEIM, N. (2010). Walter Benjamin in the Age of Digital Reproduction: Aura in Education: A
Rereading of ‘The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction’. Journal Of
Philosophy Of Education, 41(3), 363-380. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-
9752.2007.00579.x
Wullen, M., Derenthal, L., Harder, M., & Kühn, C. (2010). Museum of Photography. Leipzig:
E.A. Seeman.
6 | P a g e