Blog Assignment 6

Walter Benjamin believed that asking for the authentic or original copy of something makes no sense in an era which is surrounded by digital media and technology. Benjamin believed that authenticity comes with an original object or work which has either been hand crafted or remains the original copy. Alongside this authenticity comes aura. Aura is a quality which means an object is unique in its time and place, once something has been created more than once or on a bigger scale, mass produced, aura is automatically lost.

An example of aura is Donatello’s statue of David. This is a perfect example of authenticity in Benjamin’s case as the original statue was made in the early 1440s out of bronze and stood to uphold a sense of importance as it is known as the the centerpiece of the first courtyard in the Palazzo Medici during the wedding festivities of Lorenzo de' Medici and Clarice Orsini in 1469. However now there are more versions of this statue which caused concern about the aura, and authenticity of the original piece. Benjamin’s argument in “The work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction” is that once a duplicate, or copy of an object is made, aura is lost. The idea of having something totally unique has disappeared and is replaced with un-authentic, or ‘fake’ work.

I do agree with Benjamin’s argument. I believe that in this day and age, with todays technology, finding an original piece of art is not as important as it once would have been. It is far easier to reproduce the same work for a fraction of the price and time. In an era of digital design and manufacturing I think the ability to have an authentic piece of work will diminish more and more, and as we look for ways to create our own ‘aura’ I believe it will be important for designers and artists to limit reproduction of work to hold on to some sort of authenticity. As Benjamin states, ‘That which withers in the age of mechanical reproduction is the aura of the work of art’.