Textual Reflection on Benjamin

Benjamin’s writing The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction opens with a Paul Valery quote that sets the tone of the essay. He says that the art created in the past differs from the art created in the presence and because we “cannot remain unaffected by our modern knowledge and power” (431) we must develop our understanding to fit the new context. Benjamin talks about the reproduction of art and how mechanical reproduction “represents something new” (431). Reproductions and works of art however are different in one key way. While the original work of art has a presence in time and space and a “unique existence at the place where it happens to be” (432), the reproduction does not. The originals possess an authenticity that cannot be replicated by reproduction is able to carry the original “into situations which would be out of reach for the original itself” (432). The original does not have to worry about authenticity but when a reproduction is made, the context of the original shifts. He uses this as a segue into talking about aura and the lack of it in reproduction. The aura is “that which withers in the age of mechanical reproduction” (433). Aura is influenced by both historical circumstances and nature so as the world evolves, the aura changes because human perception grows. As original works of art maintain their authenticity, they also vary from reproductions because they have an aura due to fact that “the uniqueness of a work of art is inseparable from its being imbedded in the fabric of tradition” (434). Benjamin raises the idea of ritual in connection with aura. Benjamin discusses ritual under a negative light and says that, “mechanical reproduction emancipates the work of art from its parasitical dependence on ritual” (434). This does not mean that the original artwork is ever completely separated for the ritual function. When authenticity ceases to apply, art transitions from being based on ritual to politics. Benjamin believes that pre-modern art is authentic because it is rooted in tradition. On the other hand, mechanical reproduction is a threat to the authenticity associated with the original work of art. The process of reproduction is the way a work of art looses its aura. Original art works are unique because they have a distance to them. We are forced to look at them away from ourselves. The advantage to mechanical reproduction is the access it offers us. The reproductions are directly accessible and are valued in “their exhibition value” (430) instead of a traditional sense. In other words, the reproductions are there to be seen while the importance of the original is the fact it exists. Benjamin talks about painting and photography. Painting has an aura but photography does not because a painting is original while photography is an image of the image. Also, a cameraman has the capability to intervene with what viewers see while a painter cannot do so. It seems as if Benjamin is in favor of the loss of aura and mechanical reproduction because there is room for interpretation. This allows a new way to appreciate art.