Tag: art

Notes and Quotes from Adorno and Horkheimer's Dialectic of Enlightenment

On Art and Advertisement: Notes and Quotes from Dialectic of Enlightenment

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Reading Dialectic of Enlightenment made me accept the sad reality that truly autonomous works, whether artistic or philosophical, are made invisible or infertile by the system.

The artist or philosopher has to first sacrifice his originality (i.e., individuality) to be allowed to enter the field he wants to play in. He has to follow the rules of the game and, occasionally, to refresh the dynamic, (pretend to) break some rules that are pre-approved to be broken by the culture industry. The artist, for instance, to become an artist, must allow his spirit to flow through the workflow (and be shaped by the standards) set by the culture industry, which either approves, absorbs, or marginalizes the works produced. As Adorno and Horkheimer put it, “The whole world is made to pass through the filter of the culture industry.” (So, if you dream on becoming an artist, first get the checklist provided by the culture industry, and then get to work.)

Secondly, it is not enough for the artist (or philosopher) to produce works digestible by the system; one must also self-advertise as self-advertising (in our hyperreal universe) is the underlying premise of existence. When one exits or stops posting on social media, he simply ceases to exist. Without self-advertising, no matter how great or unique one’s voice is, it won’t be heard. (The system is asking, “If you don’t believe in yourself enough to brag and boast about your works, how can you expect others to accept who you’re claiming to be?”)

And unfortunately, my dear friend, the sad reality’s borders extend even farther. It isn’t enough to go through the system submissively and then advertise the (pre-approved) creative work that you produced. No… By the time you get there, you’ll find out that art has been commodified and, therefore, art is no longer art. It’s a mere (entertaining) product that is advertised to be sold. No matter what your art is trying to communicate, there will be a price tag on it and that will be its true value. Other than what the artwork pretends to be saying, what today’s art is screaming is nothing other than, “Please buy me!”

Even “art for art’s sake” is dead.

The (real) art in the culture industry is not art, it is advertisement.

Quotes from Dialectic of Enlightenment

Not to conform means to be rendered powerless, economically and therefore spiritually — to be “self-employed.”

– Adorno & Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment

Not only are the hit songs, stars, and soap operas cyclically recurrent and rigidly invariable types, but the specific content of the entertainment itself is derived from them and only appears to change. The details are interchangeable.

– Adorno & Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment

The triumph of advertising in the culture industry is that consumers feel compelled to buy and use its products even though they see through them.

– Adorno & Horkheimer, Dialectic of Enlightenment
Review of Walter Benjamin's The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

Thoughts after Reading Walter Benjamin’s The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

Chris KhatschLeave a comment

Two ways to experience art. — In Walter Benjamin’s The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction, we find that there are two ways to experience art: The way the “distracted mass” experiences art and the way a true appreciator experiences art. While the former absorbs art, the latter is absorbed by it. “This is at the bottom the same ancient lament that the masses seek distraction whereas art demands concentration from the spectator.” The masses expect one thing from a work of art — to be entertained by it. They want their art to be simple and straightforward (with only an illusion of depth and complexity). On the other hand, “a man who concentrates before a work of art is absorbed by it. He enters into this work of art…” He swims in it, gets lost in it, interacts with it. He even participates in the process of artistic creation without perturbing the work of art. (This takes place in the mind of the art appreciator, of course.)

Freedom of speech. — The following sentence can help us understand what really takes place on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), for example. The sentence is: “Fascism sees its salvation in giving these masses not their right, but instead a chance to express themselves.” On social media, everyone has an opinion; unfortunately, however, opinions only appear to matter when they really don’t. (I have yet to hear someone has “changed sides” after being persuaded on social media that he was wrong all this time supporting a certain politician or other. Is it not only propaganda that makes one really change sides?) What we need to remember is this: Freedom of speech doesn’t necessarily mean freedom of thought. To end this, here’s another quote from The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction: “The public is an examiner, but an absent-minded one.”

After the Vacation

Chris KhatschLeave a comment

After the vacation comes
the brain fog,
the arduous task to reaccept the status quo,
and the quicksand that gradually swallows you
back into the routine you escaped from.

Even though you’ve come back (refreshed) to conquer,
You’re procrastinating still, snoozing, postponing
the great battle.
The warrior’s armor waits for you in the closet.
Your heart still hasn’t synchronized with
the rhythm of the hammer striking the anvil.

But you must get up anyway.
So, you get up now.
You get out of bed.

There’s work to be done.

A cold shower,
then coffee.

You wear your armor.

The sun rises to meet a clear, blue sky
that appears to have never met dark, grey clouds.
But you remember the winter storms.
You remember every war you’ve won.

If God wills it,
you will win this one, too.

And when you’re done,
the boulder will rest on the top of the hill,
and it will never roll back down.