Andy Warhol Essay

Walter Benjamin’s stance on mechanical reproduction is that it strips the work of art from being able to be unique. This idea of uniqueness is present throughout his essay as he compares to it to what it means to be authentic and the aura that surrounds art. 

Benjamin explained that reproductions of art lack a “unique existence”. Meaning that reproductions are not able to be present in one specific time and place since there’s multiples of them, a quality that makes fine art unique. A famous artist that challenged Benjamin’s views was Andy Warhol. Warhol was a famous artist during the Pop art period who used many different forms of mechanical reproduction to create his art. His primary processes used were photography, silk screening, and filmmaking. According to the argument made in Benjamin’s essay, Warhol’s work would not be considered unique because his original reproductions using his silk screen are all in different places at the same time. He also explained that original works of art have changes to their physical condition that they have obtained from over the years that reproduced artwork could never have. Since Warhol’s art lack these changes, they are then less or not even unique, according to Benjamin. 

Authenticity is another topic covered by Benjamin that mechanically reproduced works lack. According to Benjamin, “the presence of the original is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity” (Benjamin 3). Without having the original of an artwork, authenticity of that work is harder to define. Warhol’s artwork is then there deemed as less authentic according to Benjamin’s standards since there is no one true original. Another measure of authenticity is the paintings “experiences”. An original work of art is deemed as authentic because it carries an essence from the history it has experienced. A reproduction’s authenticity and historical testimony are then ruined by the mechanical reproductions ability to produce art fast, since they are not undergoing these experiences. Since the standard of authenticity ceases to apply to the artistic production when mechanical processes are used, the function of art is reversed. Warhol’s work would then be considered to have different functions that are more based on politics than ritual, based off Benjamin’s argument.

The aura of a work of art, according to Benjamin, diminishes with mechanical reproduction. Benjamin defines aura as, “the unique phenomenon of a distance, however close it may be” (Benjamin 5). Mechanical reproduction destroys the aura of a work of art, which then takes away from the uniqueness of that object. By Benjamin’s definition, since Warhol uses mechanical preproduction methods, the aura of his work is gone so therefore it is not unique. If Warhol’s work was done with a canvass and paint brush his art would have an aura because it is the “means of reproduction” that destroys an object’s aura. 

Warhol is not all at fault for diminishing the aura of his art. The masses who support artwork done by mechanical production also diminish the uniqueness of art according to Benjamin’s essay. By the public accepting this way of reproduction, it takes away “the uniqueness of every reality” (Benjamin 5). This takes away the uniqueness of other works art since it strips other realities from being unique. 

The essay also talked about the aura that surrounds things other than works of art, such as celebrities. There is an aura that is tied to the presence of an actor that cannot be replicated. However, once a camera is used in replace of a live audience, the aura of that actor vanishes and so does the aura of the character they portray. Meaning that stage actors have a unique aura that movie stars lack because their artistic performance is presented to the public, not a camera. Warhol experimented with different forms of film, creating movies, tv shows, and photographs. He was always fascinated by Hollywood and celebrities, so using film was a way for Warhol to get closer to the glamorous life and to get spiritually closer to Hollywood. Besides Warhol’s silk screen prints lacking an aura, his film projects also lack an aura because he uses famous celebrities and a camera, a form of mechanical reproduction. 

Even though Benjamin would consider Warhol’s work to lack uniqueness, authenticity, and aura because it was made through a mechanical process, it was the idea behind Warhol’s art that made him a significant artist. He had this view that a painting was just an object that anyone or no one could paint. Warhol was able to create pieces that defied everything the fine art world stood for, including defying Benjamin’s view of art.