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Art reproductions and authenticity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Trevor Fawcett
Trevor Fawcett*
Affiliation:
Bath, U.K.
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Abstract

Whatever their format, reproductions provide illusory experiences of art, but may count as ‘authentic’ if adequate to their purpose and the technical possibilities and expectations of their time. A reproduction seizes the original at one moment in its history, a fact that should be made clear in its captioning. Engraved and other graphic reproductions, being hand-made, were always subjective and idealising. The camera brought greater objectivity, but even modern colour photographs interpret and mislead. The digital image offers still greater potential for exact realisation of, and access to, works of art, but its ease of manipulation increases the risk of falsification. Reproductions also have a psychological existence as mental constructs. Art and its institutions depend on them, and allow them to create their own authenticity.

Type
Research Article
Information
Art Libraries Journal , Volume 22 , Issue 2 , 1997 , pp. 20 - 25
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 1997

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References

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