A cat living in Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School. Photo: Tran Nhat Lam Thuy
"What is an 'authentic'/original piece of art you have seen?"
One piece of art I consider original is "Phong Cảnh" or "Scenery" by Vietnamese painter Đào Sĩ Chu in 1945 when I visited Ho Chi Minh Museum of Fine Arts last summer.
Link to image: http://baotangmythuattphcm.com.vn/upload/news/sd37-6517.png
(Đào Sĩ Chu 1945)
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(Freund 1938)
"Did it have an 'aura' as Benjamin claims? How so/Why not?"
The aforementioned piece of art did have an 'aura' as Benjamin claims, because the painting was not a reproduction; therefore, it was not shifted out of its original context, and the nature of art and image was not changed (McIntyre 2022). Furthermore, Benjamin (cited in McIntyre 2022) said “The presence of the original is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity.”
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"Can contemporary digital media creations have an aura? Why/Why not?"
I believe contemporary digital media creations cannot have an aura because the concept of an aura dates back to a bygone era of mysticism and religious icons. Additionally, "much of the content on the Internet is free" and "it is second nature for Millennials to download, cut, copy, and paste." (Evering & Moorman 2012). So it is unsure whether a piece of creation in the digital era is original or authentic enough to have an aura, even though Benjamin (cited in McIntyre 2022) claimed that replicable, mass-produced images give us new perspectives on the world and new senses of authenticity.
(Bored Ape Yacht Club n.d.)
Word count: 172
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Another cat living in Nguyen Thi Minh Khai High School. Photo: Tran Nhat Lam Thuy
"In your own words, define 'modernism'"
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, significant changes in Western society gave rise to modernism, a philosophical and artistic movement. The movement was motivated by a desire to develop fresh approaches to philosophy, art, and social structure that would better reflect the newly industrializing world, including its urbanization, architecture, new technologies, and war.
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"What did some people think were the problem with modernism?"
As the mechanical and ideological transformation of the production line and the modern factory served as a symbol of modernism in the early 20th century, the farmer transformed into a factory worker and became comparable to a machine: predictable, regulated, and effective (McIntyre 2022). Taylor (cited in McIntyre 2022) described labor back then as "repeatable, precise, yet monotonous and skill-reducing."
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"How is modernism still with us today? Give specific examples."
Modernism is with us today as it can be found in a variety of mediums, including film, music, architecture, poetry, literature, ballet, sculpture, and design (McIntyre 2022). In the Modern Art era, Andy Warhol (1928 – 1987) was one of the most well-known and important Pop Art artists (Brajčić, Kuščević & Petic 2020). He created the well known Marilyn Diptych and 32 Campbell's Soup Cans, two of the earliest examples of the US pop art scene (Banerji 2021). His impact on the art industry was so evident that it inspired many present-day artists such as Jeff Koons - an American artist known for having the most expensive artworks by living artists with the "Rabbit" sculpture sold for 91.1 million dollars (Reyburn 2019).
(Warhol 1962)
(Wenig/AP n.d.)
Word count: 237
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Reference list:
Banerji, A 2021, The influence of Andy: how pop art king Andy Warhol changed culture forever, Far Out Magazine, viewed 25 November 2022, <https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/andy-how-pop-art-influence-life-story/>.
Bored Ape Yacht Club n.d., '[Bored Ape Avatars]' [image], in Chayka, K 2021, Why Bored Ape avatars are taking over Twitter, The New Yorker, viewed 4 January 2023, <https://media.newyorker.com/photos/61016c1c7a2a603b3075c7b8/master/w_2560%2Cc_limit/chayka-boredapeclub.jpg>.
Brajčić, M, Kuščević, D & Petic, M 2020, 'Experiencing a 20th-century visual artwork – Andy Warhol', Croatian Journal of Education - Hrvatski časopis za odgoj i obrazovanje, vol. 22.
Đào Sĩ Chu 1945, 'Phong cảnh' [image], in Bộ sưu tập sơn dầu c. 2021, Bảo tàng Mỹ thuật Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, viewed 4January 2023, <http://baotangmythuattphcm.com.vn/upload/news/sd37-6517.png>.
Evering, LC & Moorman, G 2012, 'Rethinking plagiarism in the digital age', Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, vol. 56, no. 1, pp. 35–44.
Freund, G 1938, 'Walter Benjamin, Paris, 1938' [image], in Kirsch, A 2014, The redemption of Walter Benjamin, The New York Review, viewed 4 January 2023, <https://www.nybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/kirsh_1-071014.jpg>.
McIntyre, J 2022, ‘Lecture 10: Authenticity and media’, MDA10001 Introduction to media studies, Learning materials via Canvas, Swinburne University of Technology, 13 April, viewed 4 November 2022.
Reyburn, S 2019, Jeff Koons ‘Rabbit’ sets auction record for most expensive work by living artist, The New York Times, <https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/15/arts/jeff-koons-rabbit-auction.html>.
Warhol, A 1962, 'Campbell’s Soup Cans' [image], in Miller, B 2012, Andy Warhol’s Campbell’s soup cans, 1962, Origins, viewed 4 January 2023, <https://origins.osu.edu/sites/default/files/inline-images/andy-warhol-soup-cans.jpg>.
Wenig, S & AP n.d., '“Rabbit” by Jeff Koons sold for a record-setting $91.1 million at a Christie’s auction on Wednesday' [image], in Smee, S 2019, A bunny sculpture by Jeff Koons just sold for $91.1 million — another sign that the art world is untethered from reality, The Washington Post, viewed 4 January 2023, <https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https://arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com/public/J4UFPTTX6AI6TPJFZGEVKXTXMY.jpg&w=1200>.
