Abstract

In 1935, Walter Benjamin discussed whether or not film and photography could be considered art in his essay “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” He pondered whether the means of production negated the value of these works in new media, while he acknowledged that these new forms reflected a profound change in society, man and human perception. The discussion continues today about digital reproduction and art. According to Lev Manovich, the “computer-generated image is not an inferior representation of our reality, but a realistic representation of a different reality.” The camera, the computer, and the video are merely the apparatus used to create the media and the continuing relationship of man to the tool informs artistic expression. All great shifts in the human story are reflected in art. Some may lament the loss of the aura in the work of art. However, it is the perception—the ability to see differently—that defines the essence of a work of art. While digital art may have no monetary value today and appears without merit, history has proven that only time and the resulting perspective is the real test of what is art.