6-Nicole- "The Two Fridas"

This is a reproduction of "The Two Fridas," "faithfully recreated by hand using the finest art quality linen canvas and Winsor and Newton oil paints." I think this painting and even this picture of the painting is still beautiful and valuable, even though it is not conventionally "original." I think that originality, this quest to be truly unique, is slightly overrated, and copies of artwork really do make different art forms more accessible to a larger, more diverse audience. Moreover, reproductions have further integrated art forms, our recognitions of art forms, and our consideration of arts as a form of leisure, into our lives, becoming truly incorporated into society. The audiences of artwork and the types of artwork experienced are not as isolated or limited with the increased availability of copies and work. However, in the case of the reproduction shown above, while it does evoke recognition of Frida's work and life, after personally seeing the richness of color of the original at an exhibit with my art class, I do feel that the "aura" is lost: the story of the person behind the painting as well as the general social/cultural connotations it has accumulated does make this reproduction. I agree with Benjamin in that the aura of artwork is largely socially constructed. I do not feel that pure reproductions of artwork are authentic, but I do feel that artwork can be made authentic if the reproducer slightly tweaks the work to encompass something new.
I feel that everything is original in its own right, nothing can ever truly technically be identical, but the "aura" behind the art is what really adds to greater monetary value as well as authencity.
Authencity to me is when the culturally and personal aspects of a piece of art align with the audience's perception of it.