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

Smoke and Mirrors: Did Vermeer Have a Secret?

There is an intriguing article in this month's Vanity Fair about  an inventor in Texas who become obsessed with Vermeer's paintings. Check out the article Vermeer's Secret Tool

Tim Jenison, a creator of hardware and software for video production,  used his ingenuity to  look at the paintings in an entirely new way.  NPR also has an interview with Penn and Gillette, the makers of the documentary "Tims Vermeer" about how Jenison went about making his own version of Vermeer's "The Music Lesson". teller-breaks-his-silence-to-talk-tims-vermeer