I don't necessarily agree with Benjamin's assertions about how mechanical reproduction is the demise of aura. In many ways, the ability of modern technology to reproduce a work tens of thousands of times gives a work a larger than life "aura" that it might not have otherwise attained. The reproduction of paintings in the form of posters allows people to experience a work in way that they otherwise couldn't.
In my opinion, another example of how reproduction can add to "aura" is the omnipresence of the Mona Lisa. Everyone has seen the Mona Lisa---although not necessarily the original. Many people, upon seeing the actual painting in Paris are surprised by how small it is. In this case, mechanical reproduction has built an aura---one that ultimately leads to surprise as the original's lack of scale.
- Charlie
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