Walter Benjamin

The invention of the camera completely altered the way humanity saw the world and everything in it. The uniqueness of every painting (or aura) is said to be diminished with every reproduction of its original. However, I see it differently. With every reproduction the meaning of the piece fragments and multiple new ones are born. Is it in your living room? Your bedroom? Your office? Wherever they may land, the context of the piece changes to the atmosphere of it's new home. A million new insights of the piece are created, expanding the size of the aura exponentially. And because millions of reproductions can be made of the original, this places much more significance to the original itself. It is the starting point, the authentic piece. Thus the meaning of the original piece itself is altered as a result of mechanical reproduction and in my opinion, expanding it's aura exponentially. It not only still contains it's original message but new ones have been applied to it and its reproductions.

Benjamin promotes the emancipation of art production. He wishes for the masses to become a sort of dilettante, eliminating the gap between academic classes, and in a way taking away any authoritative power an art piece might hold.

"Thus, the distinction between author and public is about to lose its basic character. The difference becomes merely functional; it may vary from case to case. At any moment the reader is ready to turn into a writer."