Would you like to own the Mona Lisa?  How about an original Thomas Eakins or, even more rare,  a Vermeer?  Well, you can’t own any of them.  That’s all right because they are all rare and rightly should be the property of the community of humanity in general.  This is the reason that museums are formed and perpetuated.  We want to be able to keep these treasures safe and be able to give this part of the human spiritual evolution to new generations.  But what if you could clone a masterpiece? Aside from being unable to reproduce texture, it is possible to clone a masterpiece.  The clone is called a giclee.  It’s really the child of the computer age.  By scanning a painting in immense detail, a painting can be printed which reflects the masterpiece close to perfection.

            There is an amusing photograph of an artist during the depression years in the process of doing paintings.   The artist had stretched a canvas along a picket fence around a little house.  He was then seen painting along this canvas  the very desert scene over and over again.  In a later photograph, the artist is seen selling these paintings from his Model “A” Ford along the highway in California.  This is the original reproduction of an original.

            All of the former reproduction techniques, of whatever kind, have been greeted by a certain part of the population as detracting in someway from the original.  The Webber engravings of the Voyages of Captain Cook are good examples of this.  The Webber drawings were reproduced by engraving the images onto the face of a soft stone.  Inks were then applied and then paper was put over the stone.  After passing through the press where inks were transferred to the paper, a copy was made.  However,  Webber didn’t do the engraving.  The images tended to become more European in the hands of the engraver (who had not known first-hand the nature of the original image).  This process of reproduction altered the very nature of the image and the artwork in some way.

            The current accuracy of scanners, computers, and giclee printers are extraordinary.  It is now possible to reproduce a masterpiece beautifully and maintain the original for posterity.  The Bishop Museum and Robyn Buntin Galleries have embarked on an exclusive arrangement to reproduce many of the paintings from the museum’s collection.  They are being reproduced on fine quality canvas and with extreme care.  The reproductions will be done in limited editions of 350 and a part of the proceeds of the sale will go to support the museum and its programs.  These prints are part of a new aspect of the gallery called the Hawaii Masters series.  Also included in this group of prints are paintings by contemporary artists that are worthy of inclusion and those are published in editions of 150.

           The finest artwork will remain original art.  Since original artwork costs more than a reproduction, it is available to a smaller audience.  Reproductions have usually been looked down upon because they have been produced in such large quantities that they have become visual clichés or the quality of the reproduction is so poor.  With the advent of new technologies, it is the responsibility of the publisher and artist to make sure that the spirit and force of the original is not degraded by over publication.   The reproductions of fine paintings are ideal for insecure public areas, guest rooms, rental units and similar places that are vulnerable to damage or theft.

  There are many reasons to own artwork.  The most rewarding reason to own artwork is that it resonates with something within the individual.  This level can range from the silly to the most enlightened aspects of being.  Art also confers social prestige on the owner who is exhibiting either his connoisseurship, taste, or wealth.  Although in some cases these goals can be superficial, they are all valid individual choices.  Sometimes the original motive to acquire the artwork is only decorative but the enjoyment of good artwork very often inspires the owner to pursue another level of cultural pursuits.  In the case of culturally valuable works, the investment characteristics of a piece of art may be rewarding.    Whether the media is watercolor, woodblock print, painting, or giclee it is irrelevant to the personal enjoyment and self-expression that it provides the owner.