Visit any major art museum, any time, and you can find an abundance of monumental names listed on tiny plaques hanging alongside even more recognizable works of art. The excitement felt by any art lover when entering these buildings of time and creation is undeniable and above all unique. Could it be the atmosphere of the building, the presence of works of art, the people, possibly the grandeur of the space, or perhaps the minds of the artists themselves, observing through the works they have created? As viewers scrutinize the artwork before them, there is no doubt as to whether or not they have thought about what the artwork means, where it came from, and what was of interest the artist who created it. The intrigued viewer might very likely also want to have a conversation with that artist and ask them questions about the artwork and what they were thinking while producing it, in an effort to better understand what they were looking at. As a viewer and after serious reflection, would you believe that you understood the work of art as the artist or society of artists believed the work? Could you enjoy work the same way? Walter Benjamin, a famous German-Jewish Marxist literary and cultural critic, philosopher, translator and essayist, presented ideas and questions similar to these in his epic essay "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction ". He wrote about many different ideas regarding the concept of art, writing, politics and society. Benjamin was born in Berlin on July 15, 1892. He worked and lived in Germany for most of his life. He earned a doctorate in 1919, but never pursued an academic career (egs.edu, 2009). “He devoted his life's work to writing...... middle of paper...... 41-46. Ebscohost. Internet. November 12, 2009Luehrman M., Unrath K. “Bringing children to art – Bringing art to children. » Art education. January 2009: 41-47. Print.Peim, Nick. “Walter Benjamin in the Age of Digital Reproduction: Aura in Education: A Rereading of “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction.” » Journal of Philosophy of Education 41.3 (2007): 363-380. Wilson Web. Internet. 2Nov. 2009. Stolnitz, Jerome. “The apparent disappearance of great art. » The Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 43.4 (1985): 345-358. Wilson Web. Internet. October 15, 2009. Stolnitz, Jérôme. “The aesthetic attitude” in the rise of modern aesthetics. » Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism 36.4 (1978): 409-422. Wilson Web. Internet. October 15, 2009. Townsend, Chris. “Knowledge as spectacle”. Art Monthly 322 (December 2008/January 2009): 11-14. Wilson Web. Internet. October 15. 2009.