Blog:
The Tragedy of Reproduction

The  Tragedy of Reproduction

As I struggle to bring quality reproductions of any of my work to my clients I am stricken by how impossible it is to equal the quality of the original. Consider watching a live concert on TV.  Is this an exact copy of the performance on stage? Is your contrast on the TV set too high or too low? The tint, the sharpness, the glares of the stage lights?  The same is true of sound - is your treble set too high? Is it set too low? What of your bass and mid-tones? 

NO reproduction is of a quality equal to the original. I have such a wide range of shades, such details in my lines, such careful choosing of what is implied and what is actually drawn on the paper.  But capturing this for a reproduction print is very near impossible.  There is the angle of the light- while where you stand for the original work may effect the detail you can focus on, I can only give a single angle with the use of a lens. Then there is the exposure, aperture, ISO setting, resolution, and so on.... 

Even if I were to capture it perfectly - which is an impossibility - there is also the difference between what is captured and how it would appear on my screen as I align it for printing. Another transition is the printing company themselves: what ink are they using? How many shades can they reproduce? Are the reproduced shades sufficient enough to cover all shades that I've used?

I work very hard on each creation that I bring to market. But the sad fact is that you will never know just how much work went into it unless you can see the original.  

Ask yourself - are you sure what the actual Mona Lisa looks like if you have not personally viewed it?

-VB