Over-painted Paintings: Picasso, The Brontes - Should I Paint Over, Delete Photos?

The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci in the Louvre, Paris, France.

Problem
The Mona Lisa was painted over. Picasso painted over. The Brontes were painted over. Should I paint over? Should I delete photos.

How Does This Help Me As An Artist Or Reader?
I can set out to create a trompe l'oeuil.
I can re-use an old painting - mine or anybody else's. (For example, a cheap painting, from a charity shop, especially if it has a nice frame, could be a canvas for me or anybody else. Sacrilege. Horror. Your first reaction may be the same as mine. How can you paint over somebody's work! Don't even paint over your own!

Destroying Old Photos
I showed a boyfriend a photo album of myself when I was a teenager. I was embarrassed by a photo  of myself looking down and I thought, as soon as he's gone, I'll remove that from the album and destroy it. However, he said, "That's really sweet. You look so peaceful and innocent."
So I kept the photo. Every time I look in the old album and see that photo I remember the conversation.

Deleting Alternatives
I have dozens of photos of every event I attend. I recently had my phone and laptop out of action for a week, because they jammed up with too many photos. I take ten of each person, at least thirty at every event, evey night of the week in Singapore, at least once a week in London, England, every day, twice a day on holiday.  I had to delete duplicates.

I take a dozen photos of people at an event. This week in Feb 2018 I showed three pictures of man I had photographed for him to choose one, or two. One picture I am about to delete, because he is sideways on, so it doesn't reflect well on me as a photographer, and I think he won't like it. However, that is the one he wants me to keep and send him.

Why? Because, he says, "I am on my own". He doesn't like the other photograph "because somebody else is in the picture".

You see the dilemma! Oh well, up to you, what you keep and paint over. What you photograph and delete - if you can keep everything, do so.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and phtographer. See my previous post on overpainting the Mona Lisa and light analysis. My next post discusses more paintings you can see, analyze, discuss. Please share links to your favourite posts.