Retrieval And Return--Research On Benjamin's Modern Artistic Thoughts

Benjamin, an informal member of the first Frankfurt school's generation, held much different thought from the critical theory of orthodox Frankfurt school, not only in the sense of art originated from the religious salvation in his early period but also in the optimistic attitude towards the technology and the cultural theory with the rend of advocating Classics in his late period. Towards the great changes of the modern society and art, he tried his best to change the misfortune in the reality into the moment of being saved. From Benjamin's view, truth existed objectively, but it existed in the form of fragments after "the searedcontainers broke up"- a disintegration of the whole body. These fragmentswere bodied in the historical events, including the work of art. The task of artists was to let these fragments free from the continuity and help them get together newly in constellation. That is to say, their functions were regulated newly consulting and following the former general trend. By doing this, common inspiration could be produced and people would get the power of surpassing the alienation and establishing the ideal society through it. So Benjamin held the view that on the one hand, the modern art had the function of awaking the mass, then changing the passive receivers into the active revolutionary comrades; on the other hand, modern art pushed the modern fallacy and the human's alienation into the extreme and distinct condition, which was the motive power of pushing the common history into the extreme, and let the whelming call up the moment of the salvation.While his critical style was the coordination of phenomenon. Benjaminstarted from a lot of isolated and concrete people or things or contents, then coordinated these concrete phenomenon and let them assimilate and identify each other, finally he got the dialectical and abstract theory from these active and isolated history materials.Benjamin's early thinking presented an obscure mystic and well-advised prospect of verity-atonement, which implied transformation of truth and way of cognition. These transformations made he let art assume duties of understanding and unfolding truth after philosopher nous lost and truth had been recognized. He find the possibility of making it come true in reality - allegory that is to use catabolism form against catabolism. The first part of this article is to put theoretic precondition in order.After ending his pondering on metaphysics and language philosophy, Benjamin paid more attention to how to attain atonement in real world. He regarded it as essential ethic standpoint he must adopt when encountered historical crisis. He endowed art with the duty of rebuilding human's real look. Benjamin believed modern art could use the shock result of its self -transform to against catabolism and make people regain empiricism. The second part of this article is to explain this theory.Benjamin dedicated himself to find foundation of revaluation from motivation of daily life in his late art ideology .On one hand he had optimism on replicating art and hoped to smash out-dated tradition, on the other hand he hoped using aura to call a integrated and correspond with humanity psychic homestead. The third part of this article is to check this theory.