The Theory of AURA and Land Art



Walter Benjamin explains his theory of "aura" as the unique presence in a work of art tied to its originality, authenticity, and the context in which it exists. He describes aura as what the artwork gives off when seen in its original form. This aura encompasses the artist's intention, history's cultural significance, and context. The artist's creative process creates context, revealing insight into the circumstances and meaning of the work. In 1956, Abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock and one of his passengers were killed when his car crashed into a tree. Pollock was drunk at the wheel and suffered from alcoholism for most of his life. He left behind his wife, abstract expressionist painter Lee Krasner, who remained in their East Hampton home and soon began painting in his beloved studio. 

The Seasons, 1957. Lee Krasner

"After his death, Krasner worked right through the first blast of grief, picking up her brush again just two weeks after his funeral, and in the summer of 1957, she took over his studio, abandoning the tiny bedroom where she'd worked previously." (Cook 2019)

Lee Krasner's painting "The Seasons" is a monumental display of aura as it is her largest work and was created after his death during a long period of intense grief. This context of her grief is combined with a curiosity about her simultaneous freedom as an artist. Her husband's career and tumultuous relationship often overshadowed this freedom. The Seasons painting represents a theme that speaks to the natural world and its circular rhythms of life. Her subject of plant forms and symbols of fertility was stylized with her use of bold colors and thickly applied paint.

Krasner's painting is expressively feminine and distinct from her other works. For the first time, she painted pink flower forms on such a large canvas, channeling her grief over the loss of both Pollock and her mother, who passed away around the same time. These elements contribute significantly to the unique "aura" of her artwork.

Benjamin discusses the loss of aura that occurs when art is reproduced, arguing that it diminishes the inherent value and context of the work. Without the narrative of how the art was created and insight into the artist's intentions, the artwork becomes less dimensional and loses its significance.

When examining Benjamin’s theory on aura, the concept of land art comes to mind. Land art and large-scale sculpture are the ultimate examples of aura, as they are deeply tied to their physical environment and the context of their creation.

In Robert Hughes's 1980 documentary series, The Shock of the New—The Future that Was, he interviewed Michael Heizer about his artist statement for his large land sculpture, City (1970-2022), located in Central Eastern Nevada.

A mile and a half long and a half mile wide, it is a vast complex of shaped mounds and depressions made of compacted dirt, rock, and concrete. The city is apparently reminiscent of many ancient ceremonial constructions through its complexity and size, but its form is suggestive of the central hub or nucleus of a modern city. (City 1970)

Benjamin writes that the intrinsic value of an original artwork often lies in its scarcity. Land Art is technically difficult and time-consuming to create and Heizer believes that isolation is the essence of land art. The essence of experiencing land art can be also difficult and time-consuming. It resists the idea that it can be reproduced contained or owned by a museum and is restrained by its standards of value. Land art and large sculptures invite the audience to spend more time with the art than one would in a museum due to their isolation. By the very act of having travel to the desert and for many hours on bad roads the viewer had made an investment in experiencing the art. This "aura" can only be experienced in person in one place. “By going to it you have said yes to it before you even do it” (Hughes 1980). This inherently defines the concept of aura Benjamin writes that the intrinsic value of an original artwork often lies in its scarcity.

References

WantedRobot. (2014, March 14). The Shock of the New - Ep 8 - The Future That Was [Video]. YouTube. (58:51)


Cook, Rachel (2019, May 12). Reframing Lee Krasner, The Artist Formerly Known as Mrs Pollock. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2019/may/12/lee-krasner-artist-formerly-known-as-mrs-jackson-pollock-barbican-exhibition


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