Originality in Art- Hannah PP

Some famous writer (who's name I forget) wrote once (in words I can't remember verbatim) that in writing its impossible to not copy the work of others and, on the contrary one should strive to incorporate the work of others into the creation of your own story. I think the same is true with art. I think many people place too much faith in an originality that they don't care to define in great detail. Art is created from the things that we learn...just like stories are. I feel that artists are inspired by one another to create pieces and that originality is necessarily having claim to the invention of the forms and techniques used in your art...but using your art to express an idea that is true to yourself. I think if an artist creates a work of art to reflect an intimate part of him/herself...than the art is original because the subjective experience of the artist is not something that can ever be replicated.
This is why I think that duplicates can sometimes be not as meaningful. Art is already several steps removed from the subjective experience of the artist (which is what I think viewers try to grapple with and grow from) and duplications are a further removal from that. So while being able to reach a larger audience is important, I think that it sacrifices some of the personality that is conveyed through a work that is the direct result of an artist trying to represent his/her soul. I think that a mechanical copy that, for all intents and purposes, is an exact replica of an original can often effect the viewer in very similar ways...and I think studies have shown that often people can't distinguish between copies and originals and that it doesn't effect how they feel about them. But, if you are looking at a copy, and knowing that it is a copy---you have to asses whether it tries to duplicate the feeling of the original or tries to create its own world from the original.
I think that mechanical copies that attempt to be indistinguishable from the original are somehow taking away from the art by putting an emphasis on the physical aspects of it and ignoring the subjective experience of the artist that was responsible for the creation of meaning in the original.
The painting above is one by Da Vinci. I chose it because he made a very similar painting with some slight adjustments a couple of years later. Yet, I think both works have very unique emotional portrayals of the same scene. Both are original works of art despite the fact they share many of the same features. To me, a true copy is something that tries to bring nothing to the table except a replica of something else...and that is not something I give much value to.