Las Meninas

mickyates Aesthetics, Art, Collage, Coursework, Critical Research Journal, Figurative, ICWeek2, Ideas, Illustration, Informing Contexts, Photography, Realism, Surrealism 1 Comment

I am intrigued by the way that Velazquez’ Las Meninas has been used as inspiration through the years. The painting itself seems to meet most of Szarkowski‘s five point framework. Whilst clearly not a photograph, there is a realism about the image, reminiscent of a 17th century Dutch Realistic painting. Las Meninas is posed, has great detail yet a rather …

Walter Benjamin – The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

mickyates Art, Books, ContextualResearch, Critical Research Journal, Critical Theory, ICWeek2, Ideas, Informing Contexts, Media Theory, Philosophy, Photography 8 Comments

Walter Benjamin’s work is refreshing, in his attempt to deal with photography as a unique medium, rather than transpose the traditions of painting and sculpture onto it. The very title of the book, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, suggests the challenges and possible limitations of photography as an Art. In this first sense, it is a forward looking …