The Aura

Wikipedia defines “aura” as an aspect of spirituality and “a field of subtle, luminous radiation surrounding a person or object”[i]. It is this radiation which Benjamin describes as being present in the authentic. It is this authenticity which he says is eroded as it becomes subject to reproduction[ii]. If this is the case, that reproduction erodes the aura or eliminates it altogether, one must gather that the first production is where the aura is created. In this way Benjamin implies that it is in the presence of the artist that the aura originates. As Benjamin writes, “Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be”[iii]. According to Benjamin, the aura and authenticity are lost upon reproduction because the time and space of the observer of a work of art is different than the time and space the artist created it in.

Perhaps the aura of a work of art might better be identified as something which is born upon creation that does not live within the artist, artwork or observer directly, but within the time and space each is present in. As the time and space of the artwork or observer changes, so too, does the aura. As addressed above, Benjamin emphasizes the importance of time and space for the authentic. If the original aura of the work of art is a product of the time and space it was created in, then would not the reproduction of the work of art obtain an aura based on the time and space it is viewed in?

We must begin to question how Benjamin defines time and space. He asserts that, “the unique value of the ‘authentic’ work of art has its basis in ritual, the location of its original use value”[iv]. This statement would imply, then, that when observed outside of the realm it was created the work of art has no luminosity, nor does it exude a sense of power. But how is it possible to argue a feeling that is spiritual and cannot be affirmed or dismissed? This is the equivalent of arguing that a poem reproduced in a book cannot move someone to tears, and we know this is not the case. If Benjamin contends that both time and space are important upon production, then it would be reasonable to argue the significance of time and space after reproduction. Because Benjamin is not explicit in his definition of time and space, one may begin to create their own definitions and maintain that time and space can encompass environment, age, culture, experience, mood and state of mind. In this way, time and space of the observer should be acknowledged as just as significant, if not more so, than the time and space of the artist. There is great reason to argue that the aura in the presence of the artist has been transformed, manipulated and is no longer in original form, but just as an aura is embedded in the time and space of the artist, an observer can arguably extract an entirely different aura that is born of their presence in a removed time and space.

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[i] Wikipedia Wikipedia. (2011, February 6). Aura (paranormal). In Wikipedia: the free encyclopedia. Retrieved February 21, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aura_%28paranormal%29

[ii] Benjamin, W. (1968). Illuminations (pp. 220-224). New York, NY: Schocken Books.

[iii]Benjamin, W. (1968). Illuminations (pp. 220-224). New York, NY: Schocken Books.

[iv] Benjamin, W. (1968). Illuminations (pp. 220-224). New York, NY: Schocken Books.