"The presence of the original is the prerequisite to the concept of authenticity," writes Walter Benjamin in The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. '
This proposition does seem "crashingly self-evident" -- except that I suspect that there is a controversial concept of authenticity just waiting to be developed -- where the issue is not the accurate attribution of artist name and date -- but whether or not the artifact is somehow "authentic" enough to belong in art history. I've used the scare quotes here -- because this is a very scary idea -- and note that it is quoted as "THE concept of.." rather than "A concept of.." -- to suggest that it is a concept widely shared and applied. It's almost impossible to discuss (Saul has already given up)-- and it's had a profoundly negative effect on my life as an aesthete (because it limits access to whatever is considered inauthentic to our times -- which happens to include all the things I like) But hopefully, this scary idea will eventually be dragged out into the light of reason -- and be given the proper burial that it deserves. ____________________________________________________________ Smart Girls Secret Weapon Read Unbiased Beauty Product Reviews, Get Helpful Tips, Tricks and Sam http://thirdpartyoffers.netzero.net/TGL2231/fc/JKFkuJO6p0CksNk5P0KldqSCa1AJLL YpTrBcDPTsHGWpI612JRmAGw/
