The Google Art Project

The Google Cultural Institute has initiated some very interesting projects with hundreds of cultural institutions around the world. Of particular interest to travellers are the Art and World Wonders projects. The World Wonders Project uses 3D modelling and Street View to bring world heritage sites like Stonehenge and Pompeii to your computer screen. Google has partnered with UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to provide detailed information on each site.

Stonehenge

Pompeii

The Historic Center of Florence allows you to circumnavigate the Duomo and Baptistery through the piazza, get a closeup view of the architectural details and access photos.

The Duomo's Baptistery and Belltower, Florence

The Duomo Facade

The Google Art Project features works of art from over 40 countries around the world. Notable contributors to the project include the National Gallery in London, the Musée d'Orsay in Paris and the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The project also allows Google account holders to create their own collections of artwork and share them on social networks.

Musée d'Orsay, Paris

I've put together my own collection on the Google Art Project called Art in Dan Brown's Inferno, with pieces from the Palazzo Vecchio and Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Here's what I've included:

Annunciation

The Birth of Venus

La Primavera

A Botticelli Drawing for Dante's Divine Comedy

The Apotheosis of Cosimo I

The Battle of Marciano

Saint Lucy

The tools allow you to zoom in on the artwork so you can see the tiny letters 'CERCA TROVA' in Vasari's huge fresco The Battle of Marciano or pinpoint the eyeballs of Saint Lucia carried on a platter.

I'm eagerly awaiting the  film version of Inferno by Sony Pictures, scheduled for release December 18, 2015. The movie will once again star Tom Hanks as Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon and be directed by Ron Howard. In the meantime, if you're a fan of the novel and want to take a look at my gallery Art in Dan Brown's Inferno, follow this link to the Google Art Project.

Related Posts:

Dan Brown's Inferno: Florence in Photos

Dan Brown's Inferno: Venice in Photos
Dan Brown's Inferno:  The Art