Can Art be Mechanically Reproduced?

Can art be mechanically reproduced?

Yes, all art can be mechanically reproduced. All artifacts can be imitated.

When something is reproduced many times is that art?

It is still art although it has been reproduced many times whatever the reason may be. It does not carry the originality from the first piece. People may be inclined to be more interested to the newer piece because they don’t know the history of how the piece came about or they will not look at the original piece in the same light.

What's the importance of the mechanical reproducibility of the art?

Mechanical reproducibility is very important is very important because it has enhanced the entire meaning of art. It started off as painting and drawings, to photography and now film. It made a universal impact because the entire world embraced art and it is a major part of our lives whether we like it or not. Everyone stops and looks when they see an interesting photograph or and drawn portrait.

What was the impact on mechanical reproducibility on the society?

The impact that mechanical reproducibility had on society was that it was being used for more negative than positive. Society rejected its originality and its good for the community and used it for war equipment such as new war machines, and trenches.

Is photography art or contribution to the art? Is it just a tool used by artists?

Photography is definitely an art. It gives us many meanings just like a fascinating painting will. You can look into a picture and understand the emotions going through the photograph.

How and why Henry Peach Robinson created "Fading Away" (1858)? What was the reason?

Henry Peach Robinson made the painting “Fading Away” by using a mixture of real and fabricated in his the picture. The reason for the painting was to paint a picture of negative situations that can happen in anyones life. The controversial picture started with a sick girl suffering from tuberculosis and the family around her suffering from her sickness.

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?

Digitalization has taking over photography. Everything we do is digital now. Digital cameras, the editing of photos are now done by computers, older cameras are considered "out of style now" 

Documenting The Great Depression

Why the project has signicant impact on the society?



The project has significant impact on the society because of "the adverse effects of the Great Depression, the Dust Bowl, and increasing farm mechanization"(American Memory).  The Farm Security Administration (FSA) and The Office of War Information (OWI) have such a major role in the history of photography. "The photographers in both units documented America's mobilization during the early years of World War II, concentrating on such topics as aircraft factories and women in the workforce." (American Memory) The photos you see around the time of the Great Depression , they contributed to that and the history of photography of the time.  

*Below are just two pictures taken by the The Farm Security Administration  and The Office of War Information (OWI)

Washington, D. C. Government charwoman. 1942.
Photographer: Gordon ParksReproduction Number: LC-USZ62-80024

Washstand in the dog run...Hale County, Alabama. 1935 or 1936.
Photographer: Walker EvansReproduction Number: LC-USF342-8133A

What was the role of Migrant Mother photograph in the period or great depression and what is it nowadays? 



The role of the "Migrant Mother" photo at the time of the great depression was the life of a migrant at the time. No money,struggled to provide for their family, and making do with the resources they had. The overall lifestyle was depressing because these people literally had to give up everything they possibly had to survive. The role of the photo now is for people to see and understand the struggles these people faced at the time. We dont have the same struggle, it was definately harder then than it is now. There is far more resources for the less fortunate now then there was for the people who struggled back in the day.

*The pictures below show the "migrant mother". This was her life, her family and her struggle 



 "Nipomo, Calif. Mar. 1936. Migrant agricultural worker's family. Seven hungry children. Mother aged 32, the father is a native Californian. Destitute in a pea pickers camp, because of the failure of the early pea crop. These people had just sold their tent in order to buy food. Most of the 2,500 people in this camp were destitute."




Reproduction number: LC-USZ62-58355 (film copy negative) (Note: Original negative was declared missing; original negative number was: LC- USF34-9098-C.)
Caption: "Nipomo, Calif. March 1936. Migrant agricultural worker's family. Seven hungry children and their mother, aged 32. The father is a native Californian."







Reference

1. Color and Black-and-White Photos ." American Memory. N.p., 15 12 1998. Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/fahome.html.

2. "The Office of War Information." American Memory. N.p., 15 12 1998. Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/fsahtml/owiinfo.html.

3. "Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother" Photographs in the Farm Security Administration Collection: An Overview." Migrant Mother. N.p., 22/10/2010. Web. 12 Feb 2011. http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/list/128_migm.html

Photo Manipulation

The photos used are from my family trip to Grenada in July of 2010. Grenada is located in the west indies and that is where my family is from. The first photo I chose to edit was at Grand Anse Beach located in St.Georges, Grenada. The reason why I chose to edit this picture is because the beach is where we spent most of our time when we went, after looking at the picture everything about it looked good from the sand, the blue waters, the view of the house and the island on the other end of where my family and I were at the time. My island photo I modified the picture using the website http://www.picresize.com/. After uploading the photograph, I looked at all modification options and decided to use the "equalize" option. I used the equalize option because the picture looked like it was taken on a different time of day. Everything that was closer to me where I was standing stood out and the background slightly became blurry. After looking at that I decided to sharpen the picture so that everything was easier to see.  The photo ended up looking like it was a painting which I want so that it had  the same feel but different look to the original photo.

  Original                                                               Modified   

The second photograph is of a church also in St.Georges,Grenada. The idea of this modification was to make the the church stand out with a dark, haunted type sky with the feeling of an abandoned church that no one would ever recommend you going near because of the scary stories that have been said of the site. It fits the idea because in my country people are not only burried in gravesites, they're buried beside a church as well because of how small the country is and the lack of land some places have. With the grass and the small tombstones on the ground, I decided to use the oil paint feature to give the viewer a semi painted look so that the main focus remains as the scary abandoned church with the dark stormy skies that everyone in the country is afraid to pass by.                                                                        

            

    Original                                                                                   Modified