January 15, 2009

I am a real fan of Google Earth.  If you haven’t tried it, please do!  From virtually scouting out plein air painting sites, to finding houses I lived in as a child, to virtually exploring a Greek isle before a Mediterranean cruise, it has many uses.

Now, Google has added artistic masterpieces to Google Earth and Google Maps.  You can read a Time article about it here, and access the masterpieces here on Google Earth or Maps.

The 14 current images that have been scanned at the Museo del Prado include..

• Artemis by Rembrandt
• Self Portrait by Albrecht Durer
• The 3rd of May 1808 in Madrid by Francisco Goya
• The Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest by El Greco
• The Cardinal by Raphael
• Descent from the Cross by Roger van der Weyden
• Emperor Carlos V on Horseback by Titian
• The Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch
• Jacob’s Dream by José de Ribera
• Inmaculada Concepción by Giambattista Tiepolo
• The Annunciation by Fra Angelico
• Crucifixion by Juan de Flandes
• The Family of Felipe IV, or Las Meninas by Diego Velázquez
• The Three Graces by Peter Paul Rubens

So, if you haven’t downloaded Google Earth yet you’re missing out! Hopefully Google will continue to expand this feature.

Google says “The paintings have been photographed in very high resolution and contain as many as 14,000 million pixels (14 gigapixels). With this high level resolution you are able to see fine details such as the tiny bee on a flower in The Three Graces (Las Tres Gracias), delicate tears on the faces of the figures in The Descent from the Cross (El Descendimiento ) and complex figures in The Garden of Earthly Delights (El Jardin de las Delicias)” on their Google Earth and Maps blog here.