The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

Walter Benjamin makes some interesting points and observations in his groundbreaking work "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction." He asserts that people perceive original works of art to have much more value than their reproductions or copies because of the "aura" these works give off. The aura is comprised of the society the work came from, it's perceived value, and the mysticism associated with it being a unique artifact of reverence. He believes that in some ways the mechanical reproduction and copying of these images devalues them and widens the audience too broadly by making them widely available to everyone instead of being super-exclusive works of originality.

However, Benjamin also feels that bringing these works to a mass audience could alleviate some of the mysticism and untouchability of these classical works and make art more accessible. The fact that everything is a copy of everything else in some fashion makes the "originality" of a work seem less important.