At the beginning of the month, Google issued a Press Release announcing their Art Project. This new website, www.googleartproject.com, allows users to virtually explore museums using the Street View technology. Seventeen museums across the world signed up to take part in “Google Inc.’s latest interactive online resource” (Orden). Whether just browsing or looking for particular pieces of art, Google has designed this website to be as user-friendly as possible serving the needs of art scholars and inexperienced art appreciators alike. The information panel on the right hand side of the screen provides information about the artwork, the artist, and more works by the artist.
Emulating the technology used to design the Street View application on Google Earth, this tech team created a Google Trolley. This narrow cart, equipped with a computer, a camera, and sensors, took 360-degree images of the interior of the galleries, which were then stitched together, enabling smooth navigation of over 385 rooms within the museums (Press Release). Dan Ratner, Google’s Senior Mechanical Engineer explains, “A great deal of it (the trolley) was designed specifically for this environment.”
All of the pieces of art featured on the Google Art Project are high-resolution images. The custom-built zoom viewer allows users to get an even closer look; however, some images blur when zoomed in too far. Google has allowed each museum to select one piece to be featured in super high resolution. “Each such image contains around 7 billion pixels, enabling the viewer to study details of the brushwork and patina beyond that possible with the naked eye” (Press Release). The detail provided in these images is truly extraordinary. I visited the MoMA and looked at Van Gogh’s Starry Night in full zoom. The cracks, brush strokes, and layers of the painting are crystal clear, it’s truly amazing. Unfortunately only seventeen of the thousand plus paintings are featured in such magnificent detail.
While the technology behind Google’s Art Project is impressive, the goal of this project is to enrich the museum experience. Anna De Paula Hanika, one of the leads working on the project, explains, “We genuinely want people to see these works via their laptops and then be enthused enough to go and experience them first-hand.” The website does just that, as it encourages users to explore the museums by allowing viewers to personally tailor their findings into their own collection. The ‘Create an Artwork Collection’ feature allows users to save artwork into their own file, add personalized comments, and share their collection with family and friends. This feature fosters integrated collaboration environments as virtual teams can easily work on collaborated projects and collections.
Although still in development, Google’s Art Project proves to be an innovative tool not only providing users with access to thousands of pieces of art, but also helping museums adapt to the changing digital world (Bilton). Google designed the site so that viewers can really customize their search. From the information tab next to each painting allowing viewers to explore the artists more, to the Street View navigation simulating walking through the galleries, to the ‘Create an Artwork Collection’, this website serves as a solid foundation for museums to bring their work to the virtual world.
Works Cited
Bilton, Nick. “Google Takes Street View Into Art Museums.” The New York Times—
Bits. 1 Feb 2011. Web. 21 Feb 2011.
Google. “Press Release—Google and Museums Around the World Unveil Art Project.” 1 Feb 2011. Google. Web.
Orden, Erica. “The Art of Technology.” Wall Street Journal. 3 Feb 2011. Web. 21 Feb
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Google's Art Project seems to be a fantastic way to enable art enthusiasts to observe exquisite masterpieces to the point of viewing fine brushstrokes. After perusing the website myself and traveling from museum to museum I definitely saw the benefits of Google's 360-degree tour of the various museums. The fact that users have the ability to create their own collection is also convenient and intriguing. However, as I went from museum to museum I couldn't help but notice that it felt a little lonely. I myself am not an avid art appreciator but when I do go to museums, I enjoy being surrounded by intelligent people and their comments to help guide me through the paintings. Although Google provides extremely high-resolution and zooming capabilities, viewing the paintings through my computer did not evoke the same feelings as when I've seen them in person. I believe you must face art in person to truly appreciate it, but having access to the world's greatest masterpieces is definitely an innovative use of technology.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this article, I have mixed feelings about the usefulness and point of Google's Art Project. On the one hand, I think it is incredible that Google has developed technology advanced enough to bring out the distinct details in some of the world's greatest pieces of art. I am sure that people will enjoy the project, because it will allow people to feel like they are visiting museums and seeing pieces of art that they may not be able to go and see first hand and gain that experience. However other hand, I do not see the point of putting so much time, effort, and money into something that I feel already exists. Yes, viewers will not have the "virtual feeling" like they are in the museum, but there are thousands of websites on the internet today with pictures (some high quality some not) and information about almost every famous piece of art in existence. Even though it is an interesting idea to make people feel like they are actually looking at the art in person, I just think it is unnecessary and something more useful would just be a free website with high quality detail and information.
ReplyDeleteThis article about Google's Art Project is an example of how information technology is helping people access art in an easier and less expensive way. It is smart of these museums to make their art available online because people are moving towards doing everything online. Also, people using the Google Art Program can move from a museum in London, to a museum in New York City in just a few seconds. I am in an art history class now with a program where you can view different pieces of artwork and it definitely supplements the course material. The fact that the Google Art Project is free for users makes it even better. I do not see an online program replacing the museum experience because the photos cannot replicate the lighting and atmosphere of the museum, however I do think that it is an excellent resource. This article emphasizes how important information technology is for people working in all types of industries.
ReplyDeleteThe use of Google's Street view technology allows people from all over the world to access art works at any point in time for little to no monetary cost. I think this technological development is a very clever technique because it allows people to view many art works in far more detail then they could at a crowded museum. It shows how technology is constantly being revamped to create more convenient access to facts, such as art in this case, for interested people. Although nothing will ever equal actually seeing some works in person, this comes in a close second for people who can not afford to travel to museums all over the world. It allows close examinations and hassle free viewings. Also, if a person were to throughly enjoy the pieces that were offered on Google, it may encourage them to eventually plan a trip to see the pieces in person. This could lead to more business in the future of museums. I think Google has the right idea by developing convenient access to facts because people love things that make their lives easier. This new technique no only provides easy access, but also new and exciting technological developments.
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