Art Watch

With Mother's Day in the offing, I decided to do a blog that gave a nod to interests that had been my mother's and focus on some of the more interesting things that the library and web have to offer in the realm of art. It's amazing how much wonderful art is readily accessible over the internet, and fantastic variety of forms it takes as well.

@the Library

The DACC library provides access to a couple of wonderful art resources. Many people are aware of the OxfordArtOnline, which gives users not only the Grove Encyclopedia of Art, but also some of the best Oxford Publishers resources on the subject. Users can also view more than 40,000 images using the resource (see the Sistine Chapel ceiling frescoes featured in Angels and Demons, coming out May 15.) Another resource much less familiar to campus users is the Saskia Digital Image Archive, which contains 30,000 images of various art objects in a variety of media. Images can be loaded directly into Powerpoint presentations (and are licensed for this purpose), but in order to do the CONTENTdm Powerpoint plugin needs to be loaded on your computer. In addition to images, the collection includes supporting material from 19 prominent art history texts, including Gardner's and Understanding Art. Users also create a My Favorites page that only requires a cookie-enabled browser for you to access, allowing you to access your Favorites page as long as you log in under your personal login from various campus computers.

On the Web

When roving the regular web, one of the best places to start looking for art info is Artcyclopedia, which includes articles on artists, movements, particular works and techniques. There are links to images and links to museums so you can visit online all the places you can't make it to in real life. If art history is more your thing, check out Professor Christopher L.C.E. Witcombe's Art History on the Web site, which provides tons of links to sites in a well organized set of pages. You'll find your way to images, museums and lecture notes on a full range of art history topics. And now, as Monty Python would say, for something completely different, check out Web Urbanist the online home of alternative art and architecture (check out Street View for an amazing re-imagining of balloon animals by Jason Heckenwirth).

Specialty Art

The art world is full of highly specialized and highly fascinating nooks and crannies, and the internet has made these more accessible than ever before as fans and artists are able to interact more freely. Here are some specialized art sites that may be of interest. Toonopedia by Don Markstein offers information on everything toon -- artists, characters, production companies, publishers. If you like Toons, you'll enjoy poking around this site. Graffiti has long been regarded as the bane of urban existence by city officials, but the art world has been taking it seriously as a form of urban expression for a number of years. And now for a complete inversion of graffiti art, take a look at these 10 Light Graffiti Artists and Photographers., whose work revels its transient nature. Artists have always tended to be innovators and progressive leaders, so it's not surprising to find the Environmental Art Museum, a site that features work by artists dedicated to creating sustainable relationships with the planet.

Talking 'bout Art

I've mentioned the TED series of talks before, as some of the most inspired online viewing on the web. Your 18 minute window into the works and minds of the leading thinkers of the age. Well there are some interesting talks by artists you can investigate, if you're so inclined. See Theo Jansen bring to life his creatures of sticks and joints, Arthur Ganson's moving sculpture or Miru Kim's juxtaposition of the urban underground and the naked human form. You can also watch Scott McCloud discuss the comics as an art form or Frans Lanting show of his nature photography and discuss what he is trying to achieve with his work.