Bard College Visual Resources Center

ARTstor has recently announced an update that will eliminate the need for Java in the ARTstor Digital Library. This update will mainly affect the way single image downloads are handled.

After the update is in place, users who download single image files will receive a zip file that contains a JPEG image and an HTML file with the associated metadata. In addition to removing the need for Java, using zip will allow ARTstor to pursue other feature enhancements, such as additional options for image group downloads.

For some users, mainly those on PCs, it will be necessary to install software such as 7Zip to unzip their downloads.

Getty Research Institute Acquires Archive of the Historic Knoedler & Company Gallery.

The SCI-Arc Media Archive is a new online resource that presents over 600 lecture and symposium videos held at the Southern California Institute of Architecture from 1974 to the present.   The lectures cover a wide variety of topics relating to architecture and design and feature some of the most significant architects and theorists of the last 50 years.  Each video is extensively described and topics and themes are tagged.  Visitors can search by speaker name, theme or year.

The Rembrandt Database is a new research resource developed by the Netherlands Institute for Art History. The database contains detailed research material on Rembrandt’s paintings, including provenance and exhibition information, technical documentation and high resolution images. The database is particularly strong in visual material relating to the technical analysis and conservation of the paintings, including infrared and radiographic examinations and sample analysis. To give you an idea of the depth of material contained within this database, there are over 1,700 records relating to only 12 paintings! The Rembrandt Database is still in the beta stage and continues to be developed and expanded. Prints and drawings will be added in the near future.

Images from the ARTstor Digital Library are now accessible through Android-powered devices! Simply go to artstor.org on your device, click the “Enter here” button, and install the free app (you must be a registered user).  iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch users can still access ARTstor by going to http://library.artstor.org from your mobile device – no app is required.

Kapsul is a relatively new online tool developed by the nonprofit Kadist Art Foundation. Designed for art curators, artists, and educators, Kapsul makes it easy to find, organize, share, and exhibit images, text, and video. The interface is very intuitive, with prominent and well-labeled function buttons. Images can be added by drag and drop from your computer files, or by entering a website url. Kapsul also offers a very efficient Google-powered search function. Image groups, or “Kapsuls” can be made private or public. Private Kapsuls can be shared at the discretion of the creator, with controllable levels of participation. Kapsul also allows you to make quick slide shows of images taken from the web. For a more comprehensive review go to http://www.kqed.org/arts/multimedia/article.jsp?essid=86434 or simply check out kapsul.org. By the way, the public Kapsuls you’ll see on the site are very interesting!

Google Art Project was introduced last year and showcased artworks from 17 museums in nine countries and included approximately 1,000 images.  Today, the Art Project includes more than 30,000 high-resolution artworks from 151 museums, with Street View images for 46 museums.

Expanding upon the original collection of mostly western paintings, Google Art Project now includes a wider representation of art (sculptures, photographs, street art) and has greater cultural diversity.  Newly added museums include the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar and the National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi.

The updated My Gallery feature lets you select any of the artworks to build your own personalized gallery. You can add comments to each work and share your collections with others.