We know the Mona Lisa or Starry Night before seeing them. Textbooks, posters, advertising, film and screensavers repeat an image until familiarity feels like importance. Easy stories—of theft, tragic life or record price—anchor it further in memory.nnThis does not mean famous works lack quality. But visibility multiplies itself: what is shown is researched, and what is researched is shown again.
To understand the canon, ask not only ‘why is it great?’ but ‘which institutions and technologies kept placing it before us?’
