The world of fine arts may be about to undergo a revolution thanks to the Internet. Last week I went on to Google to do some research and found a panel on their home page referring to their newly launched Art Project. Of course, I couldn't ignore this so called Vicky over and we clicked on the link.
It seems that seventeen museums and art galleries from around the world have teamed up with Google to display a selection of their most popular works on the web. Looking around the project pages we discovered many paintings we had heard of (such as the Night Watch by Rembrandt and the View Of The Grand Canal by Canaletto) as well as a few we weren't familiar with.
We were surprised to see some of the pictures in extremely high resolution. By zooming in on these we could see the minute details of the subjects and the condition of the work; freckles on faces and cracks in the varnish.
It didn't take long for us to realise that this is an exciting development for the art world. Although there are only a limited number of galleries on the system at present, the potential is for every gallery and every work of art to be included, all in high resolution. Judging by Google's track record in other projects it has created, we have no doubt that this is what they would like to achieve.
The project means that anyone who has access to the Internet can see these works of art without the expense of having to travel half way round the world. While some claim that this will turn museums and galleries into deserts, we think it's more likely that people will be inspired to go and see the real thing and could use the project to help them plan a trip. Standing in front of a real work of art is an entirely more rewarding experience than looking at a photograph, however detailed.
Far from discouraging people from visiting collections, it should generate a wider interest in art, particularly as Google are likely to incorporate relevant links to the project in their search results listings. This can only be good for art lovers, galleries, artists, the general public and, of course, Google themselves.
We look forward to seeing the project expand and wonder how many art works and galleries will be on view in a few years time. Our next challenge is to decide where to go on holiday this year, a challenge that may be simpler thanks to the Art Project.
Why not take a look yourself at www.googleartproject.com?
Vicky and Vince,
Love Your Art
It seems that seventeen museums and art galleries from around the world have teamed up with Google to display a selection of their most popular works on the web. Looking around the project pages we discovered many paintings we had heard of (such as the Night Watch by Rembrandt and the View Of The Grand Canal by Canaletto) as well as a few we weren't familiar with.
We were surprised to see some of the pictures in extremely high resolution. By zooming in on these we could see the minute details of the subjects and the condition of the work; freckles on faces and cracks in the varnish.
It didn't take long for us to realise that this is an exciting development for the art world. Although there are only a limited number of galleries on the system at present, the potential is for every gallery and every work of art to be included, all in high resolution. Judging by Google's track record in other projects it has created, we have no doubt that this is what they would like to achieve.
The project means that anyone who has access to the Internet can see these works of art without the expense of having to travel half way round the world. While some claim that this will turn museums and galleries into deserts, we think it's more likely that people will be inspired to go and see the real thing and could use the project to help them plan a trip. Standing in front of a real work of art is an entirely more rewarding experience than looking at a photograph, however detailed.
Far from discouraging people from visiting collections, it should generate a wider interest in art, particularly as Google are likely to incorporate relevant links to the project in their search results listings. This can only be good for art lovers, galleries, artists, the general public and, of course, Google themselves.
We look forward to seeing the project expand and wonder how many art works and galleries will be on view in a few years time. Our next challenge is to decide where to go on holiday this year, a challenge that may be simpler thanks to the Art Project.
Why not take a look yourself at www.googleartproject.com?
Vicky and Vince,
Love Your Art
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