Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
Walter Benjamin was a cultural theorist who wrote about art in relation to Marxism in his essay, "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." Benjamin saw art and Marxism as relating forces in the age of mechanical reproduction. ... This freedom that comes with capitalism also comes with art. Benjamin alludes to the idea that mechanical reproduction had eliminated the Marxist type restrictions upon art. With the modern technology that is available today, art has evolved into a free flowing array of forms. In the beginning of the essay, Benjamin includes an exerpt from Paul Valery that states that art cannot be unaffected by our modern knowledge.