From HK's blog:
2. Do you think that the authenticity of paintings really matter? The technology these days have developed so much that such things (I don't think) really matter anymore... The experience we get would be same whether we see original or the replica, pretty much (agree/disagree?)

My response:
HK, you have some good questions. At least, I like answering them.
I think the authenticity of a painting still applies as a matter of intended subject. If you're talking about a specific painting, and there happens to be a near perfect replica of it, the reason you are not talking about the replica because very specific details that might be referenced in the original could be slightly different in the replica (and will necessarily be different, even if we cannot tell by using our unaided senses). That might be an unlikely situation, but the fact is that the identity of the original really is different than the replica, both in history and physical composition, so referencing the replica would mean you would have to at least be aware of the original. Like Berger pointed out, a replica does not have the "sense of awe" and of being in the presence of "the only one" that the original will have (unless you only think you are standing in front of the original, but are dealing with a case of mistaken identity), but also the silence and static nature of it - it does not move - ever. I'll try not to go into a ridiculous amount of detail, but the authentic piece is important at least in its history, so that we can appreciate just what lead up to it. Without that history, the thing that we reference will have different connotations. That applies to referencing the piece, while on the other hand, actually being in the presence of "the original piece" only applies in the sense that the image exists in a particular setting: it might have a frame, it will have a specific size that is likely not apparent in a replica, it may have texture that can't be seen in the replica, and all the other things that can only be "replicated" for reference purposes will be present only in the original.