Anne Sherwood Pundyk posts an essay on the importance of physical presence in viewing an artwork.
She notes that "The impression should be our own impression, not a received impression from an 'authority,' and the work should be the actual piece, not a facsimile. We have all had an initial impression of a simple image based on a reproduction give way to a complex and layered reality when confronted with the work in person – provided we are open to viewing the piece for ourselves and to forming our own impressions. We must, quite literally, see the work for ourselves."