Walter Benjamin: Art, Aura and Authenticity | Ceasefire Magazine
When the camera reproduces a painting, it destroys the uniqueness of its image. As a result its meaning changes. Or, more exactly, its meaning multiplies and fragments into many meanings.
John Berger • Ways of Seeing (Penguin Modern Classics)
So let me propose a somewhat crude distinction between 2 kinds of art:
- Art consumed as a commodity , or used to sell a product. For many people, these kinds of works might not qualify as “art” at all, because they’re not intended to create an autonomous aesthetic experience. Their aesthetic qualities are often subservient to a functional purpose.