Visual Technologies, Image Reproduction and the Copy

Even though this chapter may have had some boring material I feel that I understood it the most. I have never been good with understanding theories like realism and perspective, so this issue of copyrights and things associated with it really stuck to me. Copyright has always been a confusing issue to me because it is really hard to define what is copyright and what isn’t. This chapter goes through methods of reproductions and issued that involve copyright itself.
“In theories of visual culture influences by Marxist theory, the term reproduction is used to describe the ways the cultural practices and their forms of expression reproduce the ideologies and interests of the ruling class. In this view, the reproduction of ideology through media also reproduced the political order and its episteme” pg 183. I feel that this quote describes this chapter quite well. It explains how reproduction is used to please the people of modern days of society and now there are so many ways of reproducing it is hard to keep up. This quote also indirectly talks about copyright but reproduction has everything to do with it.
Photography is a good example of reproduction because it can be a toll used to reproduce a moment in time as well as a piece of art. Photographs can be of an event that could never be reproduced again. The photograph is therefore a way of reproducing the event, without actually doing it. Photography also is controversial in the copyright world because when you take a picture of an art piece is that breaking copyright laws? Your not actually replicating it but you have the exact piece of art in a picture.
Copyright definitely stuck out to me the most out of anything in this chapter. It’s such a confusing and controversial topic that it can be frustrating at times. “The rights to the expression of the idea, as well as rights to reproduce, to distribute, and to make derivative works from the object, all remain with the artist. Within terms of copyright law, reproductions of the painting are considered reproductions of the expression of the idea and not simply reproductions of the physical object.” Pg 205 I feel this quote explains the reason why some people get confused with what copyright really entails. Its not just actual reproductions of peoples works, but also the expression themselves.