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The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction >> Walter Benjamin the work of art in the age of mechanical reproduction >> In this essay, Walter Benjamin discusses how mechanical reproduction affects artwork and its perception, in terms of aura, delivery systems, distance, virtuality, authenticity, and aesthetic. He traces the change in perceptions from the advent of woodcut techniques, the printing press, and modern photography and film. He also draws parallels to aesthetic politics and how humankind is changed by its changing artistic acceptance ---------------------- ||| HIAFF 3.0 | university of colorado | department of art and art history | digital arts area | in conjunction with alt-x | atlas | blurr intro artwork ------------------------ < alt.histories [Intro] [from the site:] "that which withers in the age of mechanical reproduction is the aura of the work of art. This is a symptomatic process whose significance points beyond the realm of art. One might generalize by saying: the technique of reproduction detaches the reproduced object from the domain of tradition. By making many reproductions it substitutes a plurality of copies for a unique existence."