Phrase---Sarah Knoth

“The whole sphere of authenticity eludes technological---and, of course, not only technological---reproducibility” (253).

Benjamin offers up some interesting insight on the idea of technological advancements in the art world. He continues the theme of copying and imitation among all the other theorists that we have read thus far in this class. In his essay, Benjamin distinguishes between technological reproduction and manual reproduction, and he says that the former is “more independent” than the latter (254). Benjamin tries to get across the idea that, regardless of how you replicate an art form, it loses its initial validity---its aura as Benjamin calls it. He uses the word “forgery” on page 254, which I find interesting because some may consider the imitation of a piece of word a kind of plagiarism. The one thing I kept thinking of while I read this essay was the mass reproduction of famous art works as posters. I have four Andy Warhol posters in my living room, and while I read this piece I wondered if the pieces themselves lose their authenticity because they are on my college apartment living room wall. Benjamin would argue that they have indeed lost much of their authenticity because they are not in the original form. The more copies made, the less accessible the viewer is to originality----at least according to Benjamin.