Look at famous paintings as if you were there

December 27, 2018

By

There are several apps on the market that allow you to take virtual tours of various art museums.However, Google claims that the newest feature in their Arts & Culture app will allow users to study several of the world’s greatest masterpieces up close and personal — well, as personal as one can get without seeing it in person.The feature is called Pocket Gallery and it is a part of the Google Arts & Culture app. The Arts & Culture app uses augmented reality to create virtual art galleries, and as of this writing, the only gallery available is dedicated to classic Vermeer paintings, including the famous “Girl with a Pearl Earring.”This new feature is sure to become a hit among art lovers because people have never been able to view all of Vermeer’s works in one place, given that his paintings are scattered across 17 collections in seven countries. This new Pocket Gallery feature will allow users to view all of Vermeer’s art in one place at one time.The Art Camera, Google’s ultra-high resolution robotic camera designed specifically for artwork, has been deployed to several galleries around the world, creating the highest-ever resolution image of various paintings for your zooming pleasure.The Arts & Culture app is available for iPhone and Android and can be found in the App Store and on GooglePlay.After downloading the app, simply select the Pocket Gallery feature and then “step” into the virtual exhibition space. From there, you can view all 36 of Vermeer’s paintings, all of which hang life-size and perfectly lit. You can zoom in and see each painting in great detail. As you select each masterpiece, you can read more about the painting thanks to information curated by experts from the Mauritshuis museum in the Hague.The feature can take a little time to get used to and is easiest to use if you hold your smartphone downward, pointing toward a flat surface. Once you do this, you can venture through the virtual gallery by pointing your phone in the direction you want to walk.While you, or the art lover in your life, may never have the opportunity to see Vermeer’s paintings in person, with this new feature you can enjoy world-renowned artwork from the comfort of your living room!