The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

Passage:

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. This unique existence of the work of art determined the history to which it was subject throughout the time of its existence (p.220). 

Interpretation:

Walter Benjamin is speaking of the mechanical reproduction of art in how it creates a new perspective of experiences and language. What this means is that instead of what’s actually shown in a painting, a film, or even literature lacks the sense of time and space it was derived from. For example, the painting from Michelangelo, The Last Judgement, shows religious rituals and figures, but what’s not being shown is the atmosphere in which it was painted, where it was made, how, and when it was made. Not necessarily when as in the date, but the time in history that made it significant. Furthermore, Benjamin declares that art isn’t just what’s being displayed in its content. It’s more than that, which is the story of its development and how it came to be along with the aura that surrounds it.

I thought this was a very interesting point of view from Benjamin that makes art more unique and mysterious. The history in which art is made and the influences that helped developed it like social changes or even the changing techniques in art are interesting aspects to pay attention to when analyzing it. Like Benjamin states, this adds an extra element or aura that makes art more compelling and expressive. It’s a new outlook on how to view art that adds another sense of novelty to the grand scheme of things.