靈光消逝的攝影是藝術嗎？解析華特．班雅明的〈攝影小史〉

Is Photography of Disappearing Aura an Art?–An Analysis of Walter Benjamin's ''A Short History of Photography''

攝影從作為輔助繪畫追求如實再現的「配角」，到晉升成為藝術舞台上的「主角」之一，可說是一段與繪畫既是相互合作、又與之相互抗衡的漫長過程。筆者透過爬梳攝影術的發展，援引諸多藝術家、評論家力倡攝影具備突出的專業功能，闡述攝影成為當代藝術之前的艱辛歷程。本文主要以華特‧班雅明於1931年撰寫的〈攝影小史〉為文本，分析班雅明如何致力確立攝影作為一門藝術的地位，並解析他經由解讀早期相片的說法，論證攝影特有的藝術性與功能，進而翻轉攝影與繪畫的主客地位，以及探討攝影這項複製技術使得藝術作品的「靈光」消失後，攝影的角色如何讓藝術產生質與量的轉變。此外，班雅明在該文中提出，攝影將擔負推廣藝術的角色，因此與其討論「攝影作為藝術」，或許更應該思考「藝術作為攝影」，藝術如何以攝影的形式呈現。攝影術發明至今已有180年的歷史，本文最後檢視班雅明的說法。如今藝術作品可以藉由攝影影像在無國界的網際網路流通，人人得以自由的觀賞各種藝術，當今攝影與繪畫益發無法畫清界限；而攝影藝術多元的表現形式，使得靈光消逝的攝影，是否堪稱一門藝術，實已毋庸置疑。

Photography as a“supporting role”assisting painting in realizing reproduction has promoted to the“major role”on art stage, which is a long process of inter-cooperation and counterbalance between photography and painting. Through sorting out the development of photography and quoting photography’s professional functions that many artists and critics are highlighting, the author will make an illustration on the odyssey of photography before becoming a modern art. Taking the text of“A short history of photography”(Kleine Geschichte der photographie) written by Walter Benjamin in 1931, this thesis will make an analysis of how Benjamin establishes the position of photography as a kind of art and explain his idea via his explanation of earliest photos so as to prove photography’s unique artistry and function and further to exchange the subjective and the objective position of painting, as well as discuss how the role of photography qualitatively and quantitatively change art after photography as a reproduction skill erase the aura of art works. Additionally, in the text, Benjamin pointed out that photography would play a role in the promotion of art. Therefore, it is of great significance to think of“art as photography”-- how to present art in the form of photography, instead of discussing“photography as art.”It has been 180 years since the invention of photography. At the end of this thesis, the author will verify the statement of Benjamin. Now that art works now can be communicated on the internet via photographic image without national boundaries, people are capable of appreciating various art works freely. Nowadays, it is impossible to draw a clear distinction between photography and painting. The diversified expression of photographic art, under such circumstance, photography of disappearing aura is incontestable can be art.