Google has become a dominant source for the information we seek. “Google it” is our answer for everything. It provides us with a way to gain knowledge and now has introduced a means for visiting some of the world’s most renowned museums and viewing their collections.
Art Project, powered by Google ( http://www.googleartproject.com/ ) is a Google-run website in which Google has collaborated with some of the world’s best known museums and collections in order to bring us all up close and personal with these masterworks.
Using Google’s Street View technology, you can actually explore the halls & rooms of the museums themselves, which allows the viewer a helpful sense of scale & context when viewing the artwork. You can “walk” the corridors of Versailles without ever leaving your living room!
To see the collections up close & personally, Art Project also provides high resolution imagery of select pieces from the collections. You can zoom in with such incredible detail, even cracks in the paint will be visible!! ( Excuse me while the Art History geek in me goes a little crazy ). In addition to the visual fun to be had, also included for each piece of artwork is comprehensive information regarding the artist, subject matter, time period, provenance, etc. You can even create your own collection of favorite works– become your own curator!
So while I gather my notes from the two galleries I visited today and prepare to share those goodies, I’ll leave you with this fun little piece of the internet. Enjoy!