The Art of Mechanical Reproduction

The Art of Mechanical Reproduction presents a striking new approach to how traditional art mediums - painting, sculpture, and drawing - changed in the twentieth century as a result of photography, film, and other technologies. Explicitly countering the modernist view that advanced art is always medium-specific, Trodd argues instead that we should view art and its practices in relationship to the technologies of the time rather than through the master critical narrative of medium. Built as a series of interlocked case studies, The Art of Mechanical Reproduction opens with Paul Klee, then moves through Hans Bellmer, Ellsworth Kelly, Robert Smithson, Gerhard Richter, Chris Marker, and Tacita Dean. Along the way, Trodd weaves a rich history of the experimental networks in which these artists worked, and shows for the first time how extensively technological innovations of the moment affected their work. Innovative and broad-ranging, The Art of Mechanical Reproduction challenges some of the most respected and entrenched criticism of the past several decades - and allows us to think about these artists anew.