Digital Rembrandts

According to San Francisco Chronicle, "the life work of Rembrandt - all 317 known paintings, 285 etchings and more than 100 drawings - go on display next week in full-size digital reproductions that attempt to re-create the works as they emerged from the artist's studio rather than as they exist today.

"The Complete Rembrandt, Life Size exhibition opens Sunday in the former Amsterdam Stock Exchange building and runs through Sept. 7."

It must be an amazing experience to see all those reproductions together and I would love to be able to see it. After all, I was introduced to Florentine Renaissance works in such reproduction exhibits in Northeastern China.

However, one should be aware of the differences between reproductions (no matter how faithful they are) and real pieces. The experience to behold the real paintings, etchings and drawings with one's naked eyes will have a profoundly different impact than from viewing reproductions, even enhanced ones, or perhaps because of the "enhancement." Just like listening to must recordings would never be able to re-create the spiritual, emotional and even physical reactions as one listens to music in concert halls and opera houses. The effects and impacts are utterly different. I would even argue that age marks and deterioration of art works, create unique effects of their own and a sense of history. Who will ever forget the smoke and grime darkened Sistine Chapel frescoes? One might even prefer the "dirty" ones to the "restored" or "cleansed" ones.

One can only hope that once the viewers see reproductions of those works in "freshly made" conditions, they will venture further to the art museums to savor the real masterpieces.