Art has always been present in human life, adapting to transformations and patterns established by society over the years. According to the Fundação ABRINQ, the word art derives from Latin, and means technique, nature or acquired skill, a way of acting or being, representing a form of individual expression, filled with emotions, history and aesthetic values.
Taking this into account, art is present in many social areas, such as architecture, music, painting, dance, literature, cinema, among others. Despite its notable presence in everyday life around the world, there is a noticeable distancing from artistic perceptions on the part of many citizens.
Art in the Era of Technical Reproducibility
In a world marked by capitalist ideas and mass production, art has become a product and a tool for making money. This creates a model where everything is produced for a commercial purpose, which depends on standardization and a consumerist society behavior to exist, gain relevance, recognition and,consequently, monetization.
This process not only runs from the concept of art discussed above, but also causes a distortion of world perceptions, imagination atrophy and cultural spontaneity. All of this is powered by its own products, which paralyse cognitive abilities.
Walter Benjamin, philosopher and scholar of art’s transformation in society, approaches in his work “The Work of Art In The Age of Mechanical Reproduction” the question: how does the technology that allows art to be copied and mass-produced (mechanical reproduction) changes not only art itself, but also our perception, our politics, and even our humanity?
Benjamin presents the concept of “aura”, a term consisting of authenticity, historical authority, and most importantly, the “here and now”. According to him, a traditional work of art, such as Monalisa, has an aura. If you travel to the Louvre and see Leonardo da Vinci’s painting in person, you are part of a unique experience. You are present, you see with the naked eye the painter’s brushstrokes, and notice the frame’s texture. This is aura.
In essence, works of art have always been reproducible. With technological advances, this has only become increasingly possible: from woodcut to its evolutions, such as lithography, printing presses, photography, and now, Artificial Intelligence.
Change in perception
In a world where art has shifted from a cult object to an object of mass consumption, the world’s perception changes as well. Auratic art demands contemplation: you stop, analyze it and immerse yourself into it. But reproductive art is absorbed in a distracted and fragmented way.
It raises two debates. On one hand, a positive scenario, where reproductive art, such as posters, movies, and pictures, can be used to politicize the masses, making culture accessible and promoting social criticism. On the other hand, a negative scenario, where the huge volume of content causes a distancing from society, and an apathy towards social events.
Our sensibility is historically built, which means that it adapts and resists the speed and fragmentation of modern technology. Taking this into consideration, what are the perspectives for the new generation?
Art, Generation Z and AI
The new generations, especially Gen Z, have grown up in an environment where immediacy and technology are part of daily life. Art no longer depends on visiting museums or galleries: it now lives on screens, algorithms, and social media feeds.
Artificial Intelligence has intensified this transformation. Tools capable of generating paintings, poems, or songs in seconds challenge the traditional notion of artistic authorship. Who is the artist? The human who prompts the AI, or the algorithm that executes it?
However, this acceleration has a cost. The same tools that amplify creativity also kill authenticity and presence. When everything can be reproduced, when every image is a potential trend, contemplation becomes an act of resistance.
—————————————-
The article above was edited by Larissa Prais.
Liked this type of content? Check Her Campus at Casper Libero‘s home page for more!