The originality of artworks has been at issue since photography made it possible to reproduce masterpieces for mass distribution. Not long ago a work (I forget by whom) was reproduced to match precisely in texture, etc., so that the original was no different in any way, save perhaps in carbon dating.
For this reason I've come to believe there may be little difference between a digital reproduction of a piece shown here and one that might be in the Louvre or the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. Of course there is something different about standing in front of a piece that was actually touched by the master him/her self. The People's Digital Gallery is not much of a replacement for that thrill. But it is my own small attempt to take back from high art what belongs to all of us. This is only a cheap, virtual gallery, that can't match the grandeur of any actual museum. But is is cheap, and it is here, and these pieces are thrilling in person, or from a thousand miles away.
Enjoy.
