I think authenticity is usually connected to traditional techniques as well as a sense of originality. A clear example of the latter is the original Mona Lisa [

I think authenticity is usually connected to traditional techniques as well as a sense of originality. A clear example of the latter is the original Mona Lisa [1] and the Prado Mona Lisa [2]. While I think most people on the street would argue that the Prado is more beautiful than the original due to its better colour rendition, it is definitely not more authentic since it is a copy (and has undergone a much more dramatic restoration). I wouldn't say watercolours are more or less authentic than oil paintings, but the two physical media are definitely more authentic than digital painting software which attempts to simulate watercolours and oil paints. One is a simulation, the other is the real thing. There's also a more intangible aspect to authenticity, often termed authenticity of experience. For film photography, in the context of the article's report on growing film sales, the subject of the experience is the photographer's. Making a photograph with a film camera is a more authentic experience because it is more manual, more hands-on. There are, of course, late-model film cameras with highly sophisticated light meters and fully automatic exposure programs but those aren't what I am referring to. I am talking about older film cameras such as Leicas or Hasselblads or even large format view cameras. The process of making a photograph with one of these tools is very mechanical, very deliberate, and very far from the software-driven "point & shoot" style of smartphone photography. In many ways, this physicality of process is analogous to the authenticity of experience people get from driving a car with a manual transmission. It makes them feel more connected to the process. It gives them a lot more control and freedom, while also giving them a lot of freedom to make mistakes. Although we might think the latter a bug rather than a feature, when it comes to art the process of learning is all about making mistakes. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa_(Prado) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa_(Prado)