The proliferation of mass media related technologies has irreversibly shaped the trajectory of fine art. In the closing sentences of the Drucker’s chapter on art, she states that “the definition of art in an era of mass media depends on our ability to distinguish works of art from other objects or images in the spheres of media and mass visual production.” In order to ensure that there was a recognizable distinction between fine art and mass media, artists throughout history have had to re-invent the processes with which they create art. With the rise of the printing press, the value of the image was effectively diminished. Drucker effectively captures this sentiment with the following question, “if an engraving of a statue like the classical Lacoon could be had for a penny, then how was the value of a work of art to be established?”

This has been pushed to the extreme with recent technological advancements, most specifically the prevalence of the internet, and portable technology. At any almost any moment, people can access any one of billions of images. Undoubtedly, this has had (and will continue to) have a significant effect on any art which can be effectively captured by a camera. In response to the powerful forces of technology, art became more and more about ideas rather than its formal characteristics. This birthed movements like Fluxus, and other forms of conceptual art, which could not be captured effectively by a single picture.

However, with the rise of virtual reality technology, these experiences, which were previously impervious to electronic distribution, may be able to be circulated via the internet as well. It seems as though the battle between art and mass media will continue indefinitely. Given that artists have successfully reconceptualized the artistic practice throughout history, it seems likely that fine art and mass media will remain distinct.

In the spirit of this blog post, I thought it would be worthwhile to mention Google’s VR painting application, which allows the user to paint in a three-dimensional VR space. At the very least, it presents an interesting adaptation of the traditional canvas with contemporary technology.