The Loss of the Aura
Benjamin argues that technological innovations have made it easier to reproduce works of art. This element of reproduction has led, he argues, to art being divorced from its original mode value—that of ritual, tradition, and uniqueness. Benjamin terms this value the work of art’s “aura." With reproduction made easier, cheaper, and faster, this aura was diminished and along with it ritualistic value was replaced by exhibition value. He argues that the loss of aura from aesthetics will ultimately lead to art that is fundamentally and entirely political.
Exhibition and Manipulation
Also at play in the essay is the theme of how reproducible, mass marketed art can be a tool for distracting, confusing, and manipulating the masses. Film is the central medium through which the exhibition value of art is exploited specifically for the purposes of distraction. The key to influencing ideological values with film is what Benjamin terms the shock effect: since the brain can only retain a single image for a short and finite period, the constant stream of new images prevents the viewer from truly contemplating any single image or scene as they would a painting. The shock effect in film is, for Benjamin, evidence of the diminishing sense of aura that surrounds contemporary pieces of art.
Time, Place, and Authenticity
Benjamin argues that the aura of a particular work of art comes from both its authenticity and its location in space and time. He says, "the unique value of the 'authentic' work of art has its basis in ritual, the location of its original use value" (226). With the advent of technology, however, art is being produced not for ritual but now, instead, for reproducibility itself. This diminishing of authenticity as a prerequisite for artistic production is precisely what Benjamin argues will lead to art production based entirely on politics.
