You can certainly view paintings on your phone, but you can’t truly recreate the feeling of seeing a masterpiece in museum. Google thinks it can get close, though. The search giant has introduced a Pocket Gallery feature to its Arts & Culture app that uses augmented reality to create virtual art galleries, starting with one dedicated to classic Vermeer paintings (yes, including Girl with the Pearl Earring) curated by The Hague’s Mauritshuis museum. Once you choose a room, you can walk up to paintings to both study them in detail and learn more about them. These are the highest-resolution images for eight of these paintings, according to Google
There are also “in painting tours” for each work, and guided tours for special pieces like Girl with a Flute.
The feature is available on both Android and iOS, although you’ll need support for ARCore (on Android) or ARKit (on iOS) to give this a try. We’ve given this a shot, and while it won’t quite convey the sense of awe you feel standing in front of a real classic, it’s surprisingly close. Look at it this way: it’s far less expensive than booking a flight to a physical museum, and you won’t have to fight the crowds to get a good view.
Source: Google, App Store, Google Play
