The Technological Hindrance Upon Art

In the Praise of Shadows

In part of the essay "In the Praise of Shadows", Jun'ichirō Tanizaki eats at one of his favorite restaurants in Japan. This time that he comes, they have changed the candle lights on the table to electric ones. He asks for a real candle, and this makes him realize how the lacquerware and experience of eating out of it come alive with candle light. He also realizes that lacquerware is superior to porcelien to him because of its dark color that creates depth and light weight for handling. This shows me that every detail in a room or space matters. Subtle things such as the lighting or color of an object can create a completely different mood.

Red and Black Lacquerware

Hand Work - Machine Work

Adolf Von Hildebrand talks about the changes in works overtime between hand work and machine work. I think he his talking about how the machines of today can make basically the same things that have been hand made for many years. The thing is that this has caused us to lose appretiation for the work that goes in to hand crafting. There is uniqueness in something that is hand crafted and each person who views or used the hand made object has a link to the artist.

Machine vs Hand

Overall, both of these writings talk of how past traditions of some form are better than new ways. Hand work is praised by both Tanizaki and Von Hildebrand. The technology of today has actually hindered these artistic forms. The lacquerware is better suited by candlelight than electricity and hand work is more authentic and appretiated than machine work.

Tanizaki, Jun'ichirō (1977). "In praise of shadows". (T.J. Harper and E.G. Seidensticker, trans.) Sedgwich, ME:  Leete's Island Books, Inc. (original work published in 1933).

Frank, Isabelle (editor) (2000). The theory of decorative art: An anthology of European and American writings 1750-1940. New York:  Yale University Press.