The essay of Walter Benjamin, criticizes that mechanical reproduction devalues the aura and its authenticity of an artwork.
In the text, it frequently mentions the word “aura,” which represents ‘the atmosphere’ that an artwork gives off from its uniqueness and authenticity. Meanwhile, Benjamin proposes that the aura is an essence of the art, and the reproduction of the artwork is an action of harming the aura of itself, therefore there are limitations of reproduced works as an ‘art.’
Benjamin lived in the era when photographs and movies first began to be introduced, and the new technologies (which can reproduce the artwork in such a short moment) made Benjamin reflect on the meaning of art. I think that Benjamin, while criticizing the devaluation of art by mechanical reproduction, he is trying to suggest that ‘aura’ can no longer be the essence of art as media technology developed, especially photography and film.
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Apart from harming the aura of art, what other dangers/ opportunities did film embody in Benjamin’s era? This is a dialectic piece, which means Benjamin was trying to write the subject matter – film, from different points of view to seek the truth. If you would like to focus on discussing aura, you could include your thoughts on the significance of aura. What could the aura of art do to its viewers? Is aura the only aspect to evaluate art?