My First Auratic Experience

The following, is in no way a description of my first auratic experience. This was however the first time that soon after my experience I sat down to painstakingly record the experience. In doing this, I realized that for me, the exhibition on Roman Coins throughout the Ages had been a unique lived experience. To one with no experience in aura, it may be argued that every experience is a lived one. When put in the context of art, it may be argued by some that viewing on the internet is no different than seeing a true masterpiece face to face. This was however not my experience, and as I recorded the subtleties of my experience, I began to truly appreciate the many small things which I may have overlooked at another time. For example, by viewing the actual coins which had survived hundreds of years, for a brief moment I was able to imagine the people who once held those coins and the power the coins had once commanded. Each scratch could have come from falling to the ground, or playing dice, and as I let my memory roam I was able to enjoy the exhibition as I can only guess the museum curator intended for it to be enjoyed. The coins are the legacy of one of the greatest empires to ever exist on this planet, and they should be appreciated in reality not through a visual medium like the internet.

Fletcher argues that the loss of aura should be celebrated, as it allows art to become more appreciated in different manners. Although I agree with this statement, it is my argument that aura is critical to our development as human beings. Aura can inspire us by putting us so close to the moment of creation that we can hear the soft strokes of a paint brush. Without aura we may eventually lose the creative drive it requires to continually innovate and make humanity greater. Also, as media portrays art in “larger than life” situations, our sense of perspective on the world begins to fade. By viewing art in its original intended medium we avoid this situation of skewed perspective. As Goethe says, “He who cannot draw from 3000 years is living from hand to mouth.” Perhaps we cannot say now that as human beings we can draw from 3000 years however we are far from living from hand to mouth. There is hope for us after all.