"Aura"

"Aura" is a term used by Walter Benjamin in to describe the presence of a work of art "in time and space", it's unique existence at the place it happens to be" (220). The existence of "aura" is evidenced by feelings evoked in a person when they experience the work of art first hand-- like the feeling of entering into a cathedral, looking up and feeling the vastness of the space, or standing 4 feet in front of the Mona Lisa and contemplating her smile. The aura is irreplaceable, unique, and undeniably linked to the proximity of one to the authentic work of art.

Understandably, "aura" is not necessarily a concept that's translated within the realm of reproduction-- the assumption being that a duplicate or reproduction can never measure up to the experience of seeing the "true" thing. To Benjamin, reproduction and mass reproduction is killing (and probably by now, has killed) the concept of aura in terms of what makes art art. Rather than art being about this experience, this being in the presence of original art, it has become more of a business-- what can be reproduced and spread the easiest. This is especially true in the digital age, where everything and anything can and will be reproduced- so much so that it can be hard to decipher the original. "Aura", in the sense that Benjamin discussed and admired it, may be a forgotten art, overshadowed by the industry of culture.

Works Cited

Benjamin, Walter. Illuminations. “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” New York: Schocken Books, 1968. Print.