In regards to the the statement made by Benjamin; that "to an ever grater degree the work of art reproduced becomes the work of art designed for reproducibility.", I would have to agree. This is due to my belief that art has evolved over time to become something for everyone to enjoy and experience, and it is much easier and much more affordable for artwork to be mass produced. Although I'm not sure where I stand when it comes to this point. On the one hand I do believe art should not just be for the wealthy elite, but on the other, I think that mass production of art strips the piece of its "aura" as Benjamin calls it.
I also believe that there is a role for "the authentic" in this modern age, although it may be lesser than what it was before. Personally, I think that even if a photo can be replicated a million times, the original is still the best. It may not look the best, but it still possesses an aura - the feeling of power that it exudes, even though it will be weaker than that of say, an authentic clay pot from 4th Century BC Greece (such as this pot above, painted by the Kleophrades Painter - you can't help but feel a sense of awe when holding a pot this old and unique). I believe the aura is still there, however diminished it may be, and thus "the authentic" still has a role to play in modern design, even if it serves only to prove that a mass produced object can still have an aura, and nothing more.
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