Madrid's Prado gallery opened up to new visitors using Google Earth
Madrid's Prado gallery opened up to new visitors using Google Earth
Spain's Prado gallery has teamed up with Google to bring art masterpieces to remote visitors. Those unable to visit the Prado in person can now view works of art using Google Earth.
Even the brush strokes are visible to visitors viewing the paintings via Google Earth, reports The Observer. The scheme will benefit anyone who is unable to take a
city break in Madrid, where the Prado is located.
"It allows people to see the main masterworks in the museum as they have never done before," said a spokesperson for the museum. "You can see details that the human eye is unable to see."
Internet users are able to see 14 of the Prado's exhibits. These include works by
Goya, Bosch and Velázquez. Remote tourists are able to zoom in on details that they would not be able to appreciate if visiting the museum themselves. Speaking of one painting, Clara Rivera from Google said that to see it in as much detail as on
Google Earth, "you would need a three metre high stepladder".
The Prado's director, Miguel Zugaza, said that the new system would also allow those who have already visited the museum to enhance their experience. Some paintings, he explained, contain so much detail that it would be difficult to take it all in, even after viewing them many times.
However, the initiative could never replace the experience of visiting the
Prado in person, Zugaza added: "This shows you the body of the painting, but what you won't find here is the soul. You can only find that by looking at the original."
Art lovers wishing to visit the Prado via Google Earth must first install the programme on their computer. As yet Google does not have any plans to extend the system to other museums.
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