“The situation into which the product of mechanical reproduction can be brought may not touch the actual work of art, yet the quality of its presence is always depreciated.” (Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” Section II)
The Mona Lisa (Leonardo Da Vinci, circa 1503) (and its circulation in popular culture) is illustrative of Benjamin’s argument regarding the status of the artwork in the age of technical reproduction. I’ve posted an image of the original painting along with one of its more recent cultural manifestations.* Describe one way the meanings associated with the original painting effect the product being sold. Provide one example of how the ad’s use of digital technology changes the meaning of the original (for instance, in this ad, how do we interpret her famous smile?) Comparing this advertisement to the Mona Lisas made by modern artists of the Dada and Surrealist movements (Below: Marcel Duchamp, L.H.O.O.Q., 1919. S&C: 129; also Benjamin, Section XIV), what does the ad suggest about our society’s ideas and beliefs about beauty?
*The text at the bottom of the ad reads, “Pantene Time Renewal. Restores age-damaged hair.”
24 comments:
Right off the bat, you're going to pay attention the ad becuase they have touched up arguably the most recognizable painting ever made. The Mona Lisa means many things, it displays beauty, art, simplicity etc. Thus, anyone looking at this ad is immeaditley drawn to it becuase of the magnitude of the painting that is being displayed. In the ad, she has much fuller, richer more healthy looking hair as oppossed to the original. So the ad is selling the idea that if your hair is age-damaged (The Mona Lisa is one of the oldest paintings around) Pantene will make it healthier and better looking. In the original we are supposed to believe that she is smiling simply because she is happy or content. But in the ad, we are to believe she's smiling because her hair is healthier and better looking after having used Pantene. Clearly our society is producing the idea that we need to look a certain way in order to be considered attractive. In a way the ad is saying that the original Mona Lisa is not very attractive compared to what she could look like after having used Pantene. I think the ad speaks volumes about how the media affects society today.
Connor Murray
Section 401
Danny D’Acquisto
Honestly, I think this ad is great. In the eyes of an art connoisseur this ad does devalue the artwork of Da Vinci, but I think being offended by that would be a bit of a stretch. After all, it doesn’t “…touch the actual work of art…” (Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”). Actually, I think that in our society’s own twisted way it shows the art work a great deal of respect. The reason the ad is effective is because the artwork is so renowned. I think it’s trying to say, “Everybody knows the Mona Lisa.” It expects to attract eyes for that very reason. Then, once they look, they laugh. If this article speaks to anything in our society it’s our perpetual sense of humor. Everything is either funny, or should be. I think the humor is in the fact that the designer of the ad facetiously claims that Pantene shampoo can improve one of the worlds most amazing works of art. Clearly people realize the artistic value of the painting; if not then they would at least dream of the cash value. Either way you slice it, people value the Mona Lisa. I’m thankful for the reproduction of works like this. It allows for very eye catching ads, and gives them a great deal of meaning. As for beauty, I think this ad points to a particular fashion trend: retroism. Our society seems to find great beauty in the resurrection of an old fashion statement. I believe this ad simply parodies that trend. Pantene is in essence saying, “Bring back the gorgeous hair you used to have, it will go well with your favorite aviator sunglasses that your Mom wore when she was in high school.”
I am in section 401.
-Connor Murray
Lucy Derickson Section 802
What is the meaning of the smile of the Mona Lisa? This question has been debated by art scholars, however even the most amateur observer can sense the mystery behind this infamous smile. Divinci’s use of color and sfumato technique creates an internal glowing in the subject and a curious glare. In the Pantene ad, her locks are shinning and curled, her skin is golden, yet there is still sense of mystery to her. She may look different, but we still don’t know why she is smiling. Perhaps she is more appealing to a modern viewer, however in her time her confrontational gaze and monumental pose did stir up sexual tension. Pantene decided to use an easily identifiable image and attempt to make her appeal in a way that would pander to common cultural expectations of beauty. Of course the viewer is to determine that their product is what made this transformation possible. I don’t believe that the ad is attempting to derail this enigmatic masterpiece, just simply comment that if she was able to use this product in her time, just look how much more amazing she would be. However, having said that, this ad does quite obviously reinforce that there are certain parameters for beauty in this society, and these are more often the rule then the exception for cultural acceptance. Glamour is in.
Mona Lisa (Da Vinci, circa 1503) is arguably one of the most famous paintings in the world today. It is the painting of a woman postured calmly before an imaginary backdrop. This setting shows her not as a real woman but rather as an ideal woman, which applies very well to the product being sold within the modernized advertisement. It is suggested within this newer version of Mona Lisa that even the most ideal of women can be made better with such a product (Pantene Time Renewal Shampoo). This is evident in the wavier hairstyle and bolder colors that digital editing has brought into the equation. Unfortunately, while perhaps fulfilling the needs of the product, digital re-mastering of the image destroys the original message of the artwork by disturbing its natural idealism and attempting to update the classic subtlety of a woman’s beauty and the ability of a painter to capture it with a caricature and a key stroke. The famous Mona Lisa smile no longer seems like the coy nature of an innocent woman, but now a woman giggling at her new hairdo. She has gone from a simple woman to a superficial girl. “Quantity has been transmuted into quality.” (Benjamin 748). Perhaps the version of Mona Lisa by Marcel Duchamp in 1919 is a perfect critique of society’s destruction of classic beauty. By drawing a mustache and beard on her face, Duchamp has captured what technical reproduction can do to an artist’s masterpiece; ruin it. Further and further, society slips into the shady abyss of plastic, pre-packaged beauty. This is the mindset that comes with mechanical reproduction of art, however, as evident in these examples of Mona Lisa reproductions, more often quality is lost to quantity.
Robert Francis Curtis
Section 802
Kurt Raether, 802
The advertisement uses the Mona Lisa because the painting has been associated, for many years, with femininity, and the ad is directed toward women. Also, the enigmatic nature of the portrait is the subject of much of the fascination with this piece, and the advertisement caters to that sense of mystique and grandeur at a subconscious level. The product immediately seems more sophisticated simply because of the association to Da Vinci’s masterpiece. On a conscious level, the ad’s use of digital enhancement brings our attention to the hair, which has been restored from age damage, and is fuller and more healthy-looking than in the original. For me, the effect was almost humorous, and I thought it looked absurd. Mona Lisa’s smile makes her look like she’s in on the joke. Either way, whether taken seriously or not, the advertisement’s viewer feels as if they are partaking in an enigma that has puzzled scholars for centuries. Some feel that art should not be flung about so. It is this that Duchamp was getting at with his found-photograph piece L.H.O.O.Q. Great art can be circulated through society on anything – coffee mugs, posters, post cards, and advertisements – to sometimes dire affects. The beauty of the original is not present in the copies.
It’s not every day that someone makes a Master piece or I should say anything of this nature. I really don’t know why but there is something about this picture that captures everyone’s attention and not only that but the love of the picture as well. You could go to almost anywhere and people know what this panting is and have their opinion on it. Not only that but people want to own it, and if you were to change the meaning of this art then you are changing the meaning of a lot of things. If you change something on the piece of art, then it would lose something and people might not re act the same. Beauty isn’t just a face or a color, it’s about our personality, our love, out passion, and that’s why anyone can relate to this and see by changing the painting something is changing in you. It’s not her hair that changed; it’s the meaning of the change. In this case change is not needed because the beauty is inside all of us.
T.J. Waite
Film 114-401
Film 114-802
Section 401
Libby Schultz
The concept of beauty has sadly been evolving since the beginning of time. Going back to the era of which the 'Mona Lisa' was first produced one can see how beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Da Vinci picked an ordinary woman whose attractiveness could compare to many women at that time. The peaceful looked on her faced lets off this since of well being, power, and beauty. All of this is portrayed through a simple smile on the face of a plainly dressed woman with what some may call "drab" hair . In todays present time one can still look at this portrait and acknowledge it for it's beauty, but when advertising companies and mimicking artist throw a twist to the classic many things can change. The "Mona Lisa" in the ad for the hair product shows her with glowing skin and a shinny head of hair. The way I read this ad is, 'look what we can do for the "Mona Lisa" just imagine what it will do for you!' The fact that I interpret this ad in that manner depreciates the value of the original masterpiece in a way but it also is a compliment to the great Da Vinci, his painting is known to many people and it adds a since of wealth and desire to products that use 'Mona Lisa' as a promotional tool.
Libby Schultz's section is 802.
The Mona Lisa is arguably considered one of the greatest paintings ever made and with that status comes the expectation that it is a flawless piece of art. The advertisement is capitalizing on this fact as well as mocking it. They've given the Mona Lisa a hair style which you will supposedly have if you use their product and by doing this they've associated a "flawless" piece of art and a "flawless" woman, with a now supposedly "flawless" product. The ad is supposed to make you chuckle though, as it brings together the old and the new. The modern hair style placed on such a figure associated with the past, makes the merging of the time periods satirical in a way. It emphases the difference between what the two time periods thought of as beauty. The new digital ads have also now changed how we think of the original in that even if we are looking at an exact copy of the original, we start associating it with things that it was not originally supposed to be linked with, like hair styling products. I think the Marcel Duchamp picture also mocks the idea of a flawless piece of art and it also really shows how fragile a piece of art is. By just changing a small part of the Mona Lisa, the entire painting can take on a new meaning for a new generation.
Travis Torok
401-802
Kyle Probst
Film 114-401
The Mona Lisa is easily one of the most recognizable works of art in our society. That being said, the advertising company used that to their advantage. Flipping through a magazine, most people will stop and study the page containing Mona Lisa, and they will notice a difference. The Mona Lisa represents, an average woman. The advertising company is using the Mona Lisa's average looks to show how their beauty product can transform anyone . This digitally enhanced photo makes Mona Lisa's hair stand out as full, lustrous, flowing and restored hair. This changes some of the portraits original meaning. For instance, her smile in the original portrait is mainly interpreted as her being a happy woman. Looking at the ad, I see Mona Lisa smiling because of her transformed hair. In today's society, physical appearance is at high demands; especially between women. All women strive to have that perfect look, and they look at it as a sort of acceptance in society when it is achieved. Back then (circa 1503), beauty was not at such a demand, and looking at a portrait of the Mona Lisa, people thought she had true beauty. Whereas today, the average person would not consider her very attractive. This says a lot about how our society has changed, and the advertising companies are profiting on these changes by pushing these ideas through their products.
Douglas Mellon
Section 802
Beauty’s meaning has been ever changing through the generations. They use the famous Mona Lisa painting because its well known and its beauty oriented. Using Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa consumers will think that the product is a classic/trustworthy product or more sophisticated or stylish. With the help of digital technology they have gave her a new wavy hair that is thicker and shinier too. With this new do comes different meaning to the debatable significance of her smile. Now it seems that she is happy because she has a brand new hairstyle, that she knows she looks good. Instead of a mysterious smirk it is now a comical point of the ad. The ad suggests that our society is only attracted to women that are in their prime. Are they right? I think the majority would agree, but there is always a ying to a yang.
Nelson Schneider
Section 401
Leonardo Da Vinci’s The Mona Lisa is instantly recognizable worldwide, making it an excellent image to parody. The hair product in the ad is marketed towards people with age-damaged hair, the idea being, if works for a five hundred year old painting it’ll work for anyone. The meaning has been changed from the original by altering the focus to solely her hair instead of an overall composition. Her smile could now be interpreted as she’s smiling due to her age-renewed hair. Another important change they made was to adjust the coloring and shading in it so it seems newer as well as being more aesthetically pleasing. Marcel Duchamp’s L.H.O.O.Q. is another take off on The Mona Lisa. By giving the subject a moustache and beard he is mocking the idea of beauty as well as saying that the concept of beauty is open to interpretation. As for the Pantene Time Renewal ad, it shows that our society says that to be beautiful you need long, flowing, shimmering hair.
Gina Waggoner
Section 33070
Pantene always uses beautiful women when advertising their product, which is probably why they use the Mona Lisa; she was considered a beautiful woman and has the most recognizable face. I think this is a creative way to advertise their product. The saying on the bottom is also very clever because they’re promising that they can restore hair no matter how old or damaged it is. Although, they do kind of deface the original by comparing the old, faded version of the Mona Lisa and making it look more attractive. They do this by making the color more vibrant and making her hair look shiny, healthy, and full of body, and they give her hair a dark brown color. I noticed her hair in the original looks very faded towards the middle and almost white in color. Her smile to me looks about the same in both representations, but she seems more confident in the Pantene ad because of her glowing face and beautiful hair. As for the Duchamp’s portrayal, he makes her look paler in color and obviously paints her to look like a man. One can still see her beauty despite what Duchamp has done to the portrait. I think modern society has a certain idea of beauty and what people should look like, even though everybody looks so different. Ideas of beauty have definitely changed over the years, but Mona Lisa’s beauty still remains.
My section number is 802, not 33070!
The use of the Mona Lisa affects the viewer in several ways. As noted by Sturken and Cartwright using this image to sell Pantene products increases the products value and importance because the Mona Lisa is an extremely famous painting, which is recognized by most viewers. Through the use of digital technology the image’s meaning changes from one noting the beauty of an unknown woman, to an image in which that same woman’s smile seems to be more of a smirk. It seems as if the smirk is caused by Mona Lisa’s realizing how great she looks with her new hair. Other artists like Duchamp and Dali played with the image of Mona Lisa to make it relate to the art movements of their time. Duchamp’s version L.H.O.O.Q. meaning “she has a hot ass” in French seems to make fun of the woman who is otherwise seen as mysterious and highly regarded. The Pantene ad also alters the meaning of the image based on current views of beauty. The way the image is altered makes the Mona Lisa seem very empowering to women. In the Pantene ad she knows that she looks good and that seems to give her strength, which is not present in the original painting.
Alyssa Holly
Section 802
The Mona Lisa has been associated with beauty ever since it was painted and has remained famous for such a long time that it has developed connotations of beauty and the perfect woman. It’s role has changed in this ad from a work of art to a representation of it. “…so an image appearing as a work of art in a museum takes on quite a different meaning when it is reproduced as an advertisement” (Sturken and Cartwright, 26). The viewer recognizes the painting and applies previous knowledge to the ad about beauty. Obviously the social standards have changed since DaVinci’s time and this ad plays on that. The connotations of beauty have remained but the actual physical characteristics have changed. This ad tells the viewer, use our products and you will have the timeless beauty associated with the Mona Lisa.The ad’s use of digital technology changes the painting to create a sense of newness about the product. It appears to be the newest, most beautiful Mona Lisa that is up to date with our culture. The Pantene Time Removal has made the Mona Lisa’s connotations of beauty applicable to our modern culture. Duchamp’s painting acts as a critique on the narrow view of our cultures perception of beauty. The Mona Lisa is lifted up as an object of beauty and Duchamp puts a comic spin on it and causes the viewer to look back at concepts of beauty.
Section 802
Mike Adams
Being the classic painting that it is, the Mona Lisa serves as a representation of something that has been "damaged" by age. The product they are pushing can help revitalize and restore. But not only does the painting get restored with new color, they also completely change the hair style to to resemble something more modern. I think it is a perfect representation on how in our culture if we don't like something about ourselves or our natural worn out appearance from age, we simply try to change it, or replace it with something more visually appealing to the eyes of the time.
I think Mona Lisa has lost its original focus and message because technology has made it so easy for it to be reproduced and recycled in so many different ways. I don't necessarily believe that is a bad thing, though. For the Mona Lisa to still have such an impact on today's society shows just how timeless the piece is. Mona Lisa is seen as a beautiful, mysterious and intellectual woman. Naturally, the shampoo company would want to relay that message onto their costumers that with their product. The new meaning of the painting does take on maybe a more superficial approach than the original but they are still keeping in mind the message behind the original piece. It shows that beauty can be sophisticated and intelligent. On the opposite, Duchamp's L.H.O.O.Q pokes fun at the Mona Lisa by defining her as this sexual female figure. The Mona Lisa has become an icon and will continue to be the interest of many artists.
Molly Waddington
802
As Walter Benjamin says on pg. 735, "The uniqueness of a work of art is inseperable from its being imbedded in the fabric of tradition. This tradition itself is thoroughly alive and extremely changeable." The creators of this ad obviously chose the Mona Lisa as a template for the ad because of its popularity and the associations that people have with it. And although it could be argued that this ad's "new and improved" version of the Mona Lisa contradicts the intentions of the original work of art, that is the risk an artist takes when he puts his work out there. The whole point of putting art out there is to have other people comment on it, even though others comments might not be what you want to hear. So, making changes to the original Mona Lisa (her fancier hair) it changes peoples perceptions of it. While the Mona Lisa originally stood for purity and beauty, it is now being proccessed through the modern perceptions of beauty, which both changes the original and comments on our the changes society has gone through. It is interesting to see how even though digital reproduction allows artwork to survive a lot longer, it also leaves it open to alterations for the better or worse.
Jonathan Lindenberg
Section 802
“Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at a place where it happens to be.” (Walter Benjamin, “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction,” Section II)
The Mona Lisa has been a symbol of beauty, but it doesn’t hold that meaning today. I do not think this ad is using the Mona Lisa to say anything about beauty. They’re making an “improvement” on the original, making a statement that it’s old, and that the way her hair is in the ad is how hair is ‘meant’ to look. The text at the bottom of the ad, “restores age damaged hair,” infers that the original was not good enough.
The ad uses digital technology to make the Mona Lisa look more tan and have more ‘full bodied’ hair, two things that symbolize health and beauty in our culture more than the tattered original.
I think what the ad is trying to do is much different than Marcel Duchamp’s purpose in his version of the Mona Lisa. Back in 1919 the Mona Lisa was still held as the greatest painting of mankind, worshipped by many. Marcel was trying to bring the work down to our level, exposing that it was not THE painting, saying also that art can never be perfect, and that we must never hold one piece of art on a pedestal and worship it as if no more art need ever to be created.
Marcel was making a statement about how art and beauty are not found in the “perfect picture.” This ad is also saying the same thing, in a way, but adding that art and beauty IS found in full-bodied hair and a good tan.
There’s a rumor that Mona Lisa’s smile is supposed to represent a sitting person’s back, and if you close one side of her face you can see her smile, while the other side is pounding, and that connects with the double sided background. Also, she doesn’t have eyebrows. It’s kind of ironic that she’s being used in Pantene’s add when everyone knows that Pantene is all about hair. (Maybe not facial hair, but still…) There’s also the theory of Mona Lisa’s genre; she can be perceived as both male and female, and the right side of her face is supposed to be Leonardo Da Vinci’s own portrait. So that means Pantene doesn’t choose Mona Lisa because she represents beauty, but it cloud be because this image has been re-reproduced so many times, which I think Pantene tries to connect that to over processed hair, and tells us that their product can fix that problem, but there still is the signs of mechanical and digital reproduction which changes the images meaning.
The digital change is very obvious, which is the high contrast with a greenish tint which makes the painting look more “vibrant” but still makes it look fake compared to the real artwork, and of course the Photoshoped hair which makes the add. It grabs attention; the first thing we realize after seeing Mona Lisa is the difference. The hair, which connects with Fabe’s idea of the process of the reproduction, that the original is always missing its presence in time and space, Mona Lisa doesn’t have eyebrows because it was popular to not to have eyebrows in that era, but it seems that she has amazing shiny, wavy hair. That makes the lack of its presence in time and space. In the add, Mona Lisa also seems more like someone of our own era, an independent woman which is also what previous Pantene commercials suggested, and Fabe says that “The process reproduction is more independent of the original more than manual reproduction”. This is the perfect example of an reproduced artwork.
Nazlı Dinçel
I meant benjamin, not fabe.
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