From search and e-mail, to advertising and maps, and so many other things besides, I have now grown to love Google even more.

Google has already helped the arts with The Virtual Paintout, which allowed artists the use of Google Street View as a resource for travelling the world (virtually) to find suitable locations to paint.

However, the newly launched (February 1) Google Art Project (GAP) is in an entirely different category. The brainchild of developer Google Inc. that partnered with a company called Schematic which helped integrate the many technologies employed in GAP together, GAP is, for the art enthusiast and art historian, a dream come true… in high resolution.

For the launch of the project, GAP has collaborated with 17 galleries and museums to participate by opening up their doors and halls for 1,061 high-resolution images, by 486 different artists, to be viewed from the comfort of our own homes.

Moreover, each institution has chosen a painting (its most treasured?) to be photographed in some seven gigapixels.

This means we can zoom into 17 paintings and see the artist’s brushwork and the cracks in the paint, and home in on details that would be invisible to the naked eye.

In addition, Google’s Street View technology was adapted to this project to allow us to browse through 385 virtual gallery rooms through 6,000 panoramas.

In this way, GAP is an online compilation of many of the world’s extant masterpieces, and allows us to move virtually and tour galleries in what is the cream of the crop of museums and galleries worldwide.

When clicking on a painting you want to view, an ‘i’ icon reveals an expanding information panel that allows you to explore the artwork further by reading about it, viewing more works by the artist, and links to the museum website for more information and Youtube videos.

There is also the Create an Artwork Collection function, which allows you to build your own collection, distinguished by artist, period, medium or style, or anything else, such as your personal favourites for that matter. You can also share these collections. Although it may take some getting used to, especially the Street View browsing option, there are video visitor guides to make your learning process painfully easy. Among the videos are Behind the Scenes shots that reveal how GAP came into being.

One can argue that the paintings were not meant to be seen at such close proximity, but for the art enthusiast, this is more than a unique opportunity. And, there is no way GAP can replace the first-hand museum experience, which is why there are so many participating museums already.

In a museum, however, you will never be allowed to really stick your nose in a painting (unless with special permission) to see it up close and personal. So GAP is truly extraordinary. What GAP is doing is bringing art closer to the people, because access to art is not a luxury or privilege, but everybody’s right.

Among the gigapixel photographed paintings is HansHolbein’s The Ambassadors which is well-known for its anamorphic techniques used within the composition. This effect is visible when one zooms in on the painting.

In No Woman, No Cry by Chris Ofili (1998, Tate Britain), you can choose to view the painting in darkness or light. The former will reveal writing in phosphorescent paint on the canvas honouring Stephen Lawrence who was murdered in 1993.

GAP is expected to growand improve on what it is today,and even as it is today, it isdemocratising art and really reflects the full potential of the internet in today’s day and age.

This initiative is a wakeup call to all those who consider art and culture to be secondary, and a reserve of the privileged few.

www.googleartproject.com