# The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction by Walter Benjamin - Blinkist

One big idea: The aura’s decay.

Welcome to this Big Idea Blink. For this type of blink, our editors choose one thought-provoking insight from a book, enabling you to learn something new within just a few minutes. The concept we’d like to mention this time features the decay of an artwork’s “aura” due to mechanical reproduction. Walter Benjamin astutely observes and analyzes how this evolution of technology drastically changes our perception of art, making it less one-of-a-kind and more commodified.

The lost aura in the age of duplication

Imagine stepping into an art museum and coming face-to-face with a famous masterpiece. There’s a certain indescribable charm and rawness in the original work that reproductions fail to convey. This uniqueness and authenticity, untouched by time and human intervention, Benjamin calls the "aura". But what happens when art steps out of the galleries and into the printers and studios?

According to Benjamin, reproduction technologies such as photography and film strip a work of art from its "aura," its unique existence at a particular time and location. While this makes art more accessible, it also paradoxically devalues it. Artistic reproductions are consumed en masse, the original context is lost, and the aura fades.

Implications of this transcend beyond art. This phenomenon mirrors our own lived experiences. With the proliferation of digital media, moments are continuously replicated and disseminated, often distorting their original context and meaning. Just as with art, doesn’t the increasing reproducibility of our experiences make them feel less profound and unique?

Benjamin also examines the political dimensions of mechanical reproduction in The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. He argues that fascism, particularly under Adolf Hitler in Germany, used the new technologies of film and mass media as an ideological weapon to create a sense of unity and rally massive support for their cause. Through these mechanically reproduced propagandist images and films, fascism aestheticizes politics, turning it into a spectacle that mesmerizes the masses and allows for the manipulation of public opinion. However, Benjamin proposes that this politicization of aesthetics must be countered with the proletarianization of art – taking art out of the esoteric, elitist arenas and making it accessible to the general public. He envisions a future where art plays a role in inspiring critical thinking, resisting propaganda, and promoting societal change. Thus, in a world inundated by reproduced images, Benjamin emphatically asserts that the potential political power of art is realized not in its contemplation, but in its use for stimulating active engagement and resistance.

Final summary

From a quick glimpse, The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction expounds the idea of an artwork’s diminishing aura due to mechanical reproduction. It acknowledges the democratization of art through technological means but also alerts us to the subsequent devaluation and loss of authenticity of art. This fascinating insight is not merely confined to the realm of art, but reflective of broader societal trends influenced by evolving technologies.