Google has a new feature out that allows you to get up close and personal with masterpieces from the Prado Museum (Madrid). They took their super-duper high res cameras into the museum and took really detailed pictures of some of the main attractions there (Goya, Velazquez, etc). You can then browse these pictures in incredible detail through Google Earth, and see every brush stroke and weave of the canvas. It's remarkable. And a total time-sucker for someone like me. I also think this sort of technology has the potential to completely change the way art history classes are taught. I remember going to museums after taking a class and standing in front of a painting, thinking "That's not how I imagined it at all. I never knew X, Y, Z." This detailed database of art shows you things you can't even see if you stand with your nose against the canvas. And let's be honest, in most museums, you can't get that close to the pieces you want to see.
Tuesday, 27 January 2009
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This is incredible! As the bastard child of the Princeton Art & Archeology dept. who still has not been abroad, this is a serious addition to my painting experience. And furthermore, I thought Velasquez would have been more precise!
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