The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

Quote
"Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be. This unique existence of the work of art determined the history to which it was subject throughout the time of its existence. This includes the changes which it may have suffered in physical condition over the years as well as the various changes in its ownership. The traces of the first can be revealed only by chemical or physical analyses which it is impossible to perform on a reproduction; changes of ownership are subject to a tradition which must be traced from the situation of the original" (paragraph 11).

The aforementioned quote argues that art which are reproduced lack its essence of time. It significance to the period in which the art was done is lacking, there are no connections between the art and its time period. Therefore, viewers can't relate to the essence or importance of such art work during in which is was done. The history of the art has been erased.

I choose this quote because it has some fallacies. Art normally tells a story, well the ones that I have seen. They normally depicts a time in which something vast was happening, whether it be throughout the great depression or during the world wars. Arts are often redone and retouched but I still think its significance and importance remains and last throughout time. Whether, they are reproduced or retouch there are still something in the art that tells the story of the time in which the original was done.

"PAIN by Ernst Junger

Pain has several meaning, it can be feelings of physical suffering or distress due to injuries, illnesses or it can be a mental or emotion suffering or torture.


"Pain confronts us in an even more terrifying way wherever it reaches the source of procreation. Here all significant life forces are in the state of suffocation-the heights of rank and depths of pain stands in immediate relations to each other".

The above quotes refers that pain is felt the greatest where and when it can be multiplied. Social, racial standings don't matter in terms of an encounter with pain; no one is exempt. All are susceptible; its where we are at our greatest weakness.

 I chose the above quote for its interesting phraseology. It is an interesting expression of something that is so rarely understood. The greatest and strongest of men are faced with pain, no one is immune to pain. Pain like death favors no one more than the other, pain does not identity the greatest from the least of men. Pain can cause the most powerful, the most influential, the most successful to be reduced to a child. We all are faced with pain, despite our social status and that is what the aforementioned quote is reminding us.

"Triumph of the Will"

Firstly upon watching this film the first 10 minutes epitomizes the coming of the king. There were thousands of people lining the street waiting to see their "Fuhrer" Hitler. The atmosphere seems happy, joyous and overwhelming. There were marching bands, then at night fall it seems all the joy turned into chaos as building were seeing burning and the place represents that of a ghost town.

Right before the 30 minute mark Nazi leaders were introduced to the crowd. The scene I choose was at the 30min mark until about the 42min mark. In this scene the people of Germany were showing their solidarity and loyalty to Germany, the people of Germany and the ruler of Germany at the Nazi party congress. The soldiers were asked (roll call) where they are from and all who answered were from different places. That scene showed that where you come from doesn't matter we will stand as one. They repeated what is seems like was a motto to the Germany constituents "We are ready to carry Germany into a new era, from one Fuhrer, one people, one Reich Germany. It symbolizes what seems like the rebirth of Germany.

I chose that scene because of the loyalty and solidarity that was portrayed towards Adolf Hitler. I found it to be full of propaganda. Hitler only cared about himself, the people of Germany were loyal to him but he was ruthless and the people (soldiers) were merely his pawn. He used the people of Germany to carry out his acts and millions were massacred during his ruling. The people of Germany had no choice they were ruled under dictatorship and killing and ill will became second nature to them. Another reason I chose that scene was because of how Hitler presence came across, it felt like he was sovereign, untouchable, he was their God. Triumph of the Will presents a great conundrum of art, it was one of the most powerful propaganda, but also one of the most eerie and horrifying film.

Weber

"It is understood that, in reality, obedience is determined by highly robust motives of fear and hope--fear of the vengeance of magical powers or of the power-holder, hope for reward in this world or in the beyond-- and besides all this, by interests of the most varied sort. Of this we shall speak presently. However, in asking for the 'legitimations' of this obedience, one meets with these three 'pure' types: 'traditional,' 'charismatic,' and 'legal" (PG2).
In analyzing the above quote it is stating that obedience is often done out of fear. Fear from one or many things, fear from being presumably punished by those in power. It is also saying that there are rewards from being obedient whether it be earthly rewards or rewards after death (beyond). Weber is questioning whether there are legal stance of traditional, charismatic and legal principles of "obedience".

I chose this quote because it has many variations, and the tenets of one person doesn't define the tenets of everyone. Yes, we are obedient often times out of fear, but to me, on a bigger picture obedience is achieved or practice out of respect. For example, I obey my parents, elders, those in authority because I respect them and not out of I fear, cowards are the ones who people or situations and disobey rules and regulations. I don't think obedience has many hats, its either your obedient or disobedient. Voicing an opinion sometimes can be seen as being disobedient and as such will illicit a punishment especially in a legal system or with your parents. Yes there are rewards for being obedient like there are consequences for being disobedient. If one does not obey the rules of any system whether it be at work, or rules at school and home then you are going to be punished for your disobedience. If you obey the rules for example at home then you will be rewarded with that new play station.
 In concluding obedience can be determined by motives of fear, fear from punishment, fear from jail etc . But, if you obey the law, rules and regulations then you will be rewarded. I guess being rewarded in the beyond is taken from a biblical stance, where you will go to "heaven" and be with God if you follow his commandments. Fear should not determine obedience but it often times do, obedience should be displayed out of respect and not fear.

Rosa Luxemburg: The Junius Pamplet

Rosa Luxemburg  (1871-1919) was a Marxist theorist, philosopher, economist and revolutionary socialist of Jewish-Polish descent who became a naturalize citizen of Germany. She believed that only socialism can bring true freedom and social justice.

"The madness will cease and the bloody demons of hell will vanish only when workers in Germany and France, England and Russia finally awake from their stupor, extend to each other a brotherly hand, and drown out the bestial chorus of imperialist war-mongers and the shrill cry of capitalist hyenas with labor’s old and mighty battle cry" (chapter 8)
  
This is saying that until we all have the same common goal, the world will never be better and the war and hatred will never ends.
 
This is synonymous with the society in which we are living in today where it is all about control and power. The love and care for human beings has become second nature or sometimes is pushed aside. The world is so full of hatred and instead of helping and lifting up we tear down and separate. Their are ongoing wars and power struggles between countries which has cost the lives of countless persons. Those power struggles only leave families separated and in mourning, but government don't seems to care they do whatever they want to get whatever they want and at any cost. Not until we all have the same common goal and unite and love will the blood shedding be over. Not until we realize we are better off united than separated will all the nonsense cease. Until government and countries fully realize the value of people and not things the "brotherly hand" will not be extended. A nihilist will say that will never happen its like hoping in vain. Like Luxemburg I too believe that not one way to bring about freedom is through socialism and not capitalism.

The Reich and Weimar Constitution

 The Reich Constitution was a democratic form of government, that governed Germany during the Weimar Republic, to replace the Monarchy government during the periods 1919-1933.

 Post #1 "The Structure of Government"

Article 20 "The Reichstag is composed by the representatives elected by the German people"

In interpreting article 20, it is stating that the form of governance have changed and the people of Germany now have rights to delegate who they want to lead them. Germany was now a democratic country, the Reichstag was now "for the people by the people".

I was in between which article to choose, but then I decided on article 20 mostly because I am from the Caribbean and I am familiar with imperialism and colonialism. Imperialism is acquisition by a government or territories usually by force for economic or cultural power. When a country is colonize the people of that country has no right, they are oppressed, taken against their will and are voiceless. They have no true form of self identity but are identified by the oppressors, they used by their colonizers to benefit them. They are forced to speak their language and their mother tongue becomes second nature. Jamaica was colonized by England and was ruled under the British regime until they gain independence in 1962. Jamaica's had no choice but to use English as their first language, what tells them apart now is their dialect "patois".  The same can be said of Haiti they were colonized by France and as such speak French Creole. Even though  Germany was not colonize, they were ruled under Monarch government. German people during the monarch period (1871-1918) like many nations and territories that were invaded I am sure was longing for a change of governance. Where their wills and rights could be exercised. A monarch kind of government is just a one man show where that people is said to be sovereign.

Post #2: "The rights of the People"

In order for every any country, territory or business to operate there has to be rules that are governed by constitution. Constitutions are fundamental principles according to which a nation, state, corporation and such are governed.

Article #113 "Reich communities speaking a foreign language may not be deprived by the legislation of their national identity, especially in the use of their mother language in education, in local administration and jurisdiction".

This quote is saying that immigrants have a right to keep their own identity and that they should be given equal access to anything just like a national of Germany.

I choose this quote because again it is familiar. Often times as immigrants because of assimilation we are forced to conform and in the process loose our own identity. If we don't speak English, Spanish or in this case German then we can't get a particular job or we can't hold high offices and have to do the menial jobs. Our language and culture tells us apart form one another and we should always embrace our mother tongue. Nothing is wrong with change and learning, but it doesn't matter where one moves to it is paramount to keep your cultural identity so you can be identified.

M 1931

Assignment for the 10/18/14

I choose the scene from mark 1:40-1:48 when the "murdered" was brought before a prosecution and jury of people and mothers of the children he was on trial for killing. In that scene the convicted murderer was giving reason for his brutal act. He seems like a mad, confused person, he said that he was hearing voices in his head, he was being haunted by ghost and he cant remember anything. He was making a claim that he should not be held responsible for his action as they were done outside of his consciousness. The defense lawyer agreed with him and stated that he should be held in a mental ward because killing him serves no purpose.

I chose this scene because its reminiscent of people who are mentally ill and often times commit crimes they are unaware of until someones point it out to them, but are too confused to grasp the actuality of what they really did.  However, is mental retardation an excuse to kill and not be held responsible, does not being in the right frame of mind an excuse not to be punished? is this a reflection of what a nihilist would say in defending their actions, that they weren't aware of the things they were doing and as such cant be held accountable?. If a crime was brought upon us or a family member by a sick person (mental as in the case of the accused murderer) first thing that would come to mind is justice. But, in seeing this accused murderer and the look he had on his face. Looks of fear, confusion and as if he was lost, would how you feel change, do you think he would be better of being dead or being held in an asylum? As one of the mother's pointed out no one knows the pain of loosing a child and as the prosecutor said "does asylum heal a mentally ill person?. What punishment would be suited for this man? 

The Weimar Republic

Summary of paragraph 175 (Society -Homophobia)

The summation of this paragraph is in reference to Buggery law. If a man and man were caught in a sexual act or any sexual position that can illicit a punishment of up to 10 years. Likewise sex between humans and animals are deemed punishable. Society back then were homophobic, now we are seeing a world in which many things deemed punishable back in those time periods are now readily accepted.

As this relates to Nihilism from a biblical/religious stance, a nihilist would not see anything wrong with sexual acts between two men.  A nihilist doesn't care much about what the bible says or what society thinks is morally right. They would probably think life has no real meaning so everyone should be free to do whatever they want and with whomever they chose to and just live life.

The Weimar Republic

Chorus from "its All a Swindle (Alles Schwindel), by Mischa Spoliansky and Marcellus Schiffer.

Life's a swindle, yes, its all a swindle
so get what you can
from your fellow man
Girls and boys today
would rather steal than pay
and we don't care
we tell them get your share
Life is short and greed's in season
all mankind has lost its reason
life is good, knock on wood, knock, knock

German:
Alles Schwindle, alles schwindle,
uberall wohin du guckst
und wohin du spuckst!
Alles ist heut ein Gesindle
jedes Girl und jeder Boy,
's wird einem schlecht dabei!
's wird ein'm schwindling von dem schwindel,
alles, alles, alles, schwindel,
unberufen toi! toi! toi!

Life is a swindle, when trying to analyze and interpret the lyrics of the chorus, what immediately came to mind was that its every man for themselves. Swindle means to cheat, and the lyrics reflects that meaning. life has lost its morals. Everyone wants to get ahead, nothing is wrong with getting ahead, its the approach we take in order to get there. Instead of working with and building up each other we instead try and "swindle" our way into getting things. People have become untrustworthy, unreliable and they only look out for themselves and what they can get. Greed has become the order of the day.
I chose this passage because its reflects the society we are living in today. We have lost compassion for each other, we care not for each others feelings or well being, its all about the greed and self gratification and what we can get by using each other.

2nd. "No time"  (Keine Zeit) music by Rudolf Nelson, lyrics by Herbert Nelson
Chorus
No time, no time, no time
Yes, we have no time
Sorry, but we're always on the go,
with tongues hanging out as we run,
No time, no time, no time,
no hours nor even a second to spare,
We hardly sleep, we don't rest,
No time, no time, no time

German:
Keine Zeit, keine zeit, keine zeit, Ja, wir haben keine Zeit. Es tut uns leid.
Wir sind immer auf dem Sprung, haengt uns raus schon die Zung und doch wir renne, ja
wir kennen keine Zeit.
Keine Zeit, keine zeit, keine Zeit, keine Stunde und Sekunde haben wir Zeit. Ja, wir
schlafen heute kaum noch, den wir ruhen uns nicht aus. Keine Zeit, keine zeit, keine zeit.

These lyrics are saying people have no time, they are always moving, no time for themselves. they can hardly breath.
I choose this lyrics because to me they epitomizes life in New York. Everything is so rushed, people are always on the go. Individuals have family, school, some have multiple jobs and have no time to rest. With everything so rushed often times families suffers as a result, the family and home dynamics are broken down and causes trust issues, children going a stray. Bonds are often broken and relationships suffers, because of lack of quality time with the people that matters the most. We are so caught up in the fast paced life.

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari

Watching this film had many complexities. You have to watch from begin to end to understand what is happening and to fully grasp the idea of the film or what the protagonist is trying to convey to its audiences. This film is all over the place, it's from scene to scene with nothing really connecting....as it relates to Nihilism I can tell this film is an illusion of the mind- where we might imagine things and think it's actually happening in real life.. Nothing is real...

The scene I chose was to the end when Francis came to the realization that he was probably just dreaming and all that he thought was happening was actually in his head. This scene gave me a clearer understanding of what was happening all along that  and Francis was somewhere in an asylum and he only had been dreaming and that all the characters were made up, nothing was actually real. The scene was full of chaos and confusion.

I chose the last scene because it gave me a clearer and more concise version of what was happening all along. The last scene tells that the story was always in the mind of the protagonist, he seemed crazy yet he had a very creative mind, it shows how the mind works and if we aren't careful what we think is real and  what we think happened, how they can actually become our reality. This somewhat confusing  yet creative film shows just how potent the mind is and how the lines between reality, actually and fiction/fantasies are thin.

Siddharta

"A goal stood before Siddhartha, a single goal: to become empty, empty of thirst, empty of wishing, empty of dreams, empty of joy and sorrow. Dead to himself, not to be a self any more, to find tranquility with an emptied heard, to be open to miracles in unselfish thoughts, that was his goal. Once all of my self was overcome and had died, once every desire and every urge was silent in the heart, then the ultimate part of me had to awake, the innermost of my being, which is no longer my self, the great secret".

I think this passage is saying that he doesn't want to no longer be associated with the human sides of him. He doesn't want to feel anything, he doesn't want to think about himself, but rather he wants to free himself from all emotions, he doesn't want any attachment to the things around him. He rather not to feel anything but to ostracize himself from the lavish world he was used to.

I choose this passage because many times we as human beings are so caught up in "self", all we think about is us and what we want and care nothing for the anyone else or the less fortunate. But here we have Siddharta who wants  to associate himself with the less 'fortunate". He wants to relate to them and in doing so he emptied himself and chose a life of discomfort. I think he wanted to see the world through the eyes of poverty.

The term "expressionism" is meant to refer to the artist's expression of their soul in the painting. This is contrast to artistic schools which favor realism and naturalistic depictions of art. Ironically, the development of photography in the late 19th century made the demand for naturalistic depictions of art somewhat obsolete, thus in a sense, freeing artists to pursue other means of using color and line (the foundations of painting). The artist I choose is Claude he was born 14 November 1840 – 5 December 1926) and was a founder of French Impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting.[1][2] The term "Impressionism" is derived from the title of his painting Impression, soleil levant (Impression, Sunrise), which was exhibited in 1874 in the first of the independent exhibitions mounted by Monet and his associates as an alternative to the Salon de Paris.

Impressionist Paintings

"The Scream", Edvard Munch, 1893
This picture uses bright colors with simplistic figures and shape. It screams, fright, fear, despondency. It looks as if he is  afraid of the persons lagging behind and as such became frightened because he is by himself. Contrary the picture is colorfully, and bright and doesn't reflect the theme "The Scream"  but his face screamed scared. Therefore I am not sure where  the author was because by looking at the painting he doesn't seems to be in a lonely place, maybe it was a feeling or a flashback to something scary he had witnessed before which was captured in this painting.

"Impression Sunrise" Claude Monet, 1872Impressionism painting are colorful which usually captures the atmosphere at a particular time of day. This picture has a beautiful backdrop, I can see the sunlight which normally signifies a new day, and how it reflections strikes the water, I see cloud covers, and I can see boat. This picture in essence captures the sun. As it regards to Nihilism even though we can see the sunlight you can also see cloud covers which normally means dull, dreary and possible rain. Those themes are characteristic of uncertainties.

"San Giorgio Maggiore at Dusk", Monet, 1908-12 
This picture is colorful and beautiful, the colors mixed together gives a beautiful contrast. It captures the effect of when the sun is going down. This picture is abstract its as if i can touch it. This picture marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise (above pic). The moon shivers away and becomes weak as the sun peaks it way through the clouds. This picture symbolizes the uprising of a new day.

The pictures above all reflect the Impressionist Theme. What I conclude is that there isn't any one way to express yourself your art. All three pictures have the same theme yet they all have different meanings. The Artist's using the  Impressionism theme all use different style. I think the meaning of the picture and the themes are subjective.

Title: "Trench Warfare" Otto Dix, 1932.
Name: Wilhelm Heinrich Ottox Dix
  Born on December 2, in Gera. He is the oldest of four children born to Ernst Dix, an iron foundry worker, and Pauline Louise Dix, a seamstress. In 1910 Dix begins attending the School of Arts and Crafts in Dresden and visiting modern museums and galleries. The expressionist arts Max Klinger ad the philosopher Friedrich Nietszche have a profound influence on the young artist.

This picture depicts chaos to me, like a massacre happened "Trench Warfare" as the title suggests. It shows a world unsure of what is happening. I see skulls, possible dead bodies, bats. The lightening is bright and colorful which normally signifies hope and happiness, but there is nothing happy and hopeful about this picture. It screams utter chaos, despondency and despair. This picture depicts what the Dadaist believe and saw the world as "if life is ugly then art should be ugly too".

"Each thing has it  word, but the word has become a thing by itself why shouldn't I find it? Why can't a tree be called Pluplusch and Pluplubasch when it has been raining? 

What i think that the author is saying why can't we name a thing, describe a thing however we want to whenever we want to. If we have free will why can't we use it all the time. I think the author is also saying that why can't a thing have several meaning or that same thing meaning changes depending of the state it is at a particular time.

I choose this quote because words  is a form of expression and as human we they can choose to express ourselves however we want to . Sometimes we are led to conform instead of transform, we have to do what the masses are doing or say what they are saying and in the process we loose ourselves and our voices. But here we have a quote that is saying everything has it's own word, it own description of what that thing is. Why can't the meaning of that word or thing changes when the state (physical) of it changes also..

The quote did challenge me I would say. It shows that one thing can have several different meaning without changing that thing, just like human beings we all have our complexities, differences and all reason and believe in different things but we are all still humans. We might look, talk, behave differently but that doesn't make me human and someone else not. There isn't any one definition to any one thing. I might see something one way and someone else might see it another way but still, we are referring to the same thing. There isn't any rule that one thing or a word have to be called just that "word"