The other week, a good friend from Seattle emailed me a link: www.googleartproject.com/. His messages rarely provide explanation, but rather provide the URL to a movie, music show, a new track or an opening. With a shared love for all things artistic, I always enjoy seeing his name pop up in my inbox. This particular message contained a link for Google's new Art Project, providing web based access into many of the worlds greatest museums. Using a drop down, users can pick the specific museum (17 are currently participating) they'd like to explore, such as the Museum of Modern Art, the Uffizi, etc. The tool allows for general tours, where you can poke around different galleries with 360 degree navigation. Or, it also allows for the precise examination of specific pieces, allowing all the time and privacy for scrutiny. There are definitely still some programming bugs and quality control issues that Google still needs to work out. Resolution of images is not always crisp and some of the tours are blurry smudges on gallery walls. But, there are also 1,000+ high-resolution images of artworks, which it's creators argue allows for more detail than the naked eye would normally pick up. The Art Project breaks ground for the artistic online experience. Despite that many museums have individually worked on virtual projects, Art Project is a portal for easy access into a consolidated database. It provides access into many institutions that you many otherwise never have the pleasure of experiencing. It's definitely worth checking out.
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