Week 3: Robotics + Art

Henry Ford's his implementation of the assembly line production irrefutably improved the nation’s production. The assembly line production was an extension of the printing press: it involves multiple steps that maximize efficiency. Ford’s method requires each person be responsible for a part, which is now known as Taylorism.

Assembly line: http://www.wvculture.org

Taylorism is a type of management in which each task is broken down and extremely specific. Due to this, workers arguably end up being treated like machines. They are pieces of a much larger moving system. However, this produces an efficiency that leads to great output.

This great output brings rise to a major issue: reproduction. Due to industrialization, it is no longer difficult to reproduce works of art. According to Douglas Davis, “There is no clear conceptual distinction now between original and reproduction in virtually any medium based in film, electronics, or telecommunication” (Davis 2). Douglas highlights that art now has taken the role as the commodity, and needs to offer some form of utility to its viewers.

Mirrored movie theater reactions http://im.hunt.in

In Benjamin Walter’s article, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction” he explains that there is a fusion of visual and emotional enjoyment in the screen is orchestrated by tools at a distance. Due to this, the viewer has a genuine reaction because he or she feels as if the film was in reality. The reproduction of each of these films is done on a grand scale, and watched in large groups. As Walters continues to explain, the reactions of each are shaped by those around them. This is not always the case for paintings.

Coalbrooke Dale by Night http://betterlivingthroughbeowulf.com

Yet painters still work to infuse the processes of industrialization in their works. According to “History, Trade, and Art,” their paints and brushes were produced in huge factories that were likely run in an assembly line style, and they then work to produce paintings that reflect industrialization, such as changing landscapes from agrarian to factories. This is portrayed in the piece Coalbrookdale by Night. Ironically, the livelihood of artist's work was, and is, constantly threatened by the presence of machines. For example, the tapestry industry faced a great loss as machines quickly took over during industrialization.

Since industrialization, art has become more accessible, but also less authentic. It feels more personal, but also more ubiquitous. It is challenging to rectify a balance between the genuine qualities of art and the somewhat profit-driven aspects of industrialization.

Sources:

Johnson, K. "History, Trade and Art." Art and Artistic Reactions to the Industrial Revolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

"The Art Institute of Chicago." Industrialization | The Art Institute of Chicago. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2017.

Vesna, Victoria. “Lecture Part 2.” Robotics + Art. 23 Apr 2017.

Benjamin, Walter. "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." Stardom and Celebrity: A Reader(n.d.): 25-33. Web.

Davis, Douglas. "The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction (An Evolving Thesis: 1991-1995)." Leonardo28.5 (1995): 381. Web.