– Google Maps –

Prague

@alweyman

The image I have found on Google Maps is a young child in the City of Prague, Czech Republic. This image visually brings up Benjamin’s article by bringing up his ideas that any reproduction of a work of art is missing the element of time and place. Though this screenshot is an exact reproduction of what was going on during this time, there can be no account as to how warm it was, clear skies, etc. Directly quoted from the article, Benjamin says:

“Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be.”

The authenticity of works of art are what give them their true nature, for example, I could not take a picture of the mona lisa and sell it on ebay for millions because its just a picture of it and there are millions of other already out. Another concept that may be tied into this photograph is the idea of Auras.

“We define the aura of the latter as the unique phenomenon of a distance, however close it may be”

There is no comparison between the aura that a picture puts out and the one that a true life image would put out. Given this photograph, the aura that may be found around the child and trees is merely a depiction of how it is in real life. Had someone seen this in real life, the aura would surely have seemed different and most likely fluctuation.

 

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