The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction
I have read this essay before in prior classes and the concept of "aura" has always intrigued me the most. I think that what Mr. Benjamin is talking about is that when we look at a certain object or even a piece of artwork we get a different sensation from it or aura if it were displayed through a different medium or period in time. For example, when looking at the Mona Lisa painting in a magazine versus actually looking at it while on a tour of the Louvre Museum you get a totally different feeling. When looking at the actual painting in the museum it evokes a different emotion and feeling all together. You would also have a different feeling towards it if you were looking right at the painting during the 16th century and standing right next to Leonardo da Vinci after he finished painting it.
That happed to me once when I went on a tour of the Art Institute of Chicago. While there I was able to see many famous paintings. One in particular was "Nighthawks" by Edward Hopper. I have a poster of this painting at home and have seen it numerous times in magazines and on the internet. It was a different aura entirely when looking at the real thing versus looking at the generic version of it in some magazine or the internet. Also, when looking at a generic version of something the image itself tends to change somewhat. The quality may not be as good as the original or it might have been enhanced to look better than the original. Also the original itself tends to change as time goes by do to weathering and also restoration as well.
