@brandonluc01
This photo is of the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Assumption of Mary in the central plaza of Mexico City. Surrounding the Cathedral are Mexican locals and some tourists. The building in this photo is a very artistic design containing many intricate stone carvings.
In Walter Benjamin’s article he talks about the recreation of art through mediums such as photographs. But he claims that modern mediums lack some artistic values because anyone can simply take a photo of someone else’s art and say it is authentic or original. Benjamin says that the “sphere of authenticity is outside the technical” meaning the original art piece is independent of the copy.
Benjamin claims that copies of art often lack an element which an original piece can provide. Copies usually lack context. Copies can’t always capture the relevance of a piece of art at a specific period of time. An artist however can make several variations to their piece to incorporate thoughts, themes, or historical symbols to reveal some truth about the reality they are recreating. Another element artistic pieces include but copies usually do not is “Aura” which is the mood or close feeling a piece creates. In the photo of the Cathedral there are many people walking around it. They are in the presence of the artistic building and according to Walter Benjamin can feel the Aura of it. Benjamin claims that Aura can only be found within the presence of an artistic piece and cannot be captured within a copy or photo of a piece. Photos and copies make the viewer feel distant and unable to feel the Aura of the Cathedral.