Post Class

In Benjamin's notes for the article The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction he states "The definition of the aura as a 'unique phenomenon of a distance however close it may be' represents nothing but the formulation of the cult value of the work of art in categories of space and time perception. Distance is the opposite of closeness. The essentially distant object is the unapproachable one. Unapproachability is indeed a major quality of the cult image. True to its nature, it remains 'distant, however close it may be.' The closeness which one may gain from its subject matter does not impair the distance which it retains in its appearance." (35)

I understood aura as the feeling a work of art can give off. It could make you feel happy or sad or any other emotion. There is a different aura for every work of art. The aura can change depending on where this art is located. For example if you stand in front of Degas "Petite Danseuse de Quatorze Ans" you get a different feeling than if you just see it in a picture. This is just like de Saussure's theory of the signified and the signifier. There are different meaning for each version of something. See the real thing can be anti-climatic if you have seen it plastered in media your whole life like the Mona Lisa. The aura of a work of art is different depending on how close you are to the painting, the subject and your outside surroundings.