Walter Benjamin defines aura as a unique phenomenon that exists between a viewer and a work of art. Aura creates a sense of distance yet proximity and can be experienced when observing natural phenomena like mountains or shadows. For Benjamin, the advent of technologies like photography and printing disrupted aura by allowing exact mechanical reproduction of artworks, removing their unique existence. While some saw this as the death of art, others argue that new media like film and digital art have created new forms of artistic expression and experience of aura in the digital age.