Walter Benjamin’s writing has been what I have identified with most in this course so far; he states that it is not sacreligious to reproduce a work of art, and I believe that is true. Art is reproducible, and this is what makes it art. While the reproduction may detract from the aura of the original work, Benjamin believes that it adds to the authority of the reproductions. When a piece of art is reproduced, it becomes more accessible, and in our currently globalized culture, it is essential for a piece of art to be accessible via the Internet, as well as by other venues. This is true with memes; there is a new meme that uses the reactions of people in Renaissance and Medieval paintings and gives them modern captions. This meme brings to light many works of art that were originally produced hundreds of years ago, but that would not have reached such a large audience had they not been reproduced and distributed on the Internet. While the original images gain more circulation, they also begin to lose their meaning (Benjamin talks about this as the “aura” of the piece) as new meanings are created with each new reproduction. Rather than seeking out the piece by making a pilgrimage to see the original, Internet users happen upon it while browsing the Internet and consume it with the new meaning. This can lead to further reproductions with different meanings as the meme gains popularity. Had these paintings from the Renaissance and Medieval times not been reproduced and distributed via the Internet, they would not have gained the popularity and influence that they have now.
The Renaissance and Medieval painting reaction memes demonstrate Benjamin’s idea of the work of art being reproducible. Memes are fundamentally reproducible, and, as Benjamin describes with reproduction of art, they change the meaning of the original through establishing their own meaning. Like the below image, many use modern day song lyrics and slang overlaid on the old images, creating humor through juxtaposition.
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