Seeing The Great Depression Anew

The Library of Congress offers us access to the incredible photographs of the Farm Security Administration. These iconic photos (over 175,000) have been digitized and tagged and made available to us all. But wait, it gets better. Yale University has taken this data and enriched it in a new project called Photogrammar.  The photos can now be explored by photographer, where the photo was taken, and by theme. More tools are still in the works.

The Meadow of Images for Scholarship Blooms

The Metropolitan Museum joins the rising tide of museums offering high-quality images for free scholarly use. 400,000 images are available for non-commercial use directly from the Met website.  Check here for more information on this great news. 

Available images will be marked Open Access for Scholarly Content  or OASC.

Digital Art History

 

 An interesting interview in the Wall Street Journal with James Cuno, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust, discussing the future of art history and how technology can create new methods of art historical analysis.  Look here  to read more about bringing computing power and art history together in enlightening new ways.

Slow food? How about slow art?

What if you had five minutes? And you spent it with a work of art?

Experiencing a work of art is a very different experience from seeing it projected in class or looking at it on a screen. Most museum visitors spend from a few seconds to a couple of minutes in front of an art work.  What happens when we really stop and look?  That is what the slow art movement is proposing.  Read this interesting article from The Getty Institute here.

Happy 125th Birthday to the Eiffel Tower!

The Tower was considered unsightly and embarrassing when it was first built, Parisians who objected to the structure used their best insults,  calling it a "truly tragic street lamp."  How times have changed! Most of us adore this symbol of Paris. Check out this photo essay celebrating this notable monument.  eiffel-tower

Right Side of the Law?

An interesting move by the Getty Photo Agency makes millions of its images available for free, via an embed.  This article discusses what is in it for The Getty, as well as for image consumers. Interesting to see how this issue is evolving.  Check it out at: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2014/03/why-getty-going-free-is-such-a-big-deal-explained-in-getty-images/284264/

Science Fiction meets Gaming meets Art

An interesting piece from NPR about what makes great art famous. Is it because it is the best or because of some other factor?  Read more here to find out about alternate world paths where the Mona Lisa does not become the world's most famous painting.  good-art-is-popular-because-its-good-right

Islamic Art Resource

Students of Islamic art will want to check out this revamped on-line resource! Archnet offers articles and images for Islamic art and architecture, both contemporary and historic.  Take a look here: http://archnet.org/

The Beauty of Maps

 The Hereford "Mappa Mundi" is the largest intact medieval wall map in the world.  It is rarely displayed but after a recent restoration there was a chance to see it outside its glass case.  Such a wonderful photograph which shows the grand scale of the thing.  Read the article here: 
 the-beauty-of-maps