The National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC offers us a virtual exhibit of paintings by Van Gogh in two formats. One is with images and text and has no special requirements. The other offers 3-D strolls through the National Gallery of Art to see the images and hear the supporting information and quotes read from Van Gogh's own notes. This version requires Apple Quick Time VR, and Real Player. All plug-ins and players are available for free from the opening page of this virtual tour. Information for both Macs and PCs is included. The actual tour is organized around ten different time periods in Van Gogh's painting career from early works to self-portraits to Arles. The information is organized well and presented in a thoughtful manner.
Type of Material:
With the use of QuickTime VR, we are able to take a virtual tour of the National Gallery of Art and specifically the exhibit, Van Gogh's Van Goghs. The site is presented as a gallery simulation and the virtual exhibit is a collection of Van Gogh's artwork. You can choose which room in the gallery you wish to visit, where in the room you go, what you to want to view, and if you wish to hear about it. The virtual exhibit is a collection of Van Gogh's actual work.
Technical Requirements:
You need QuickTime VR to view the "VR" version. There is a basic version of the tour that you select that does not require this. Download QuickTime 5.0 for the best results. It can be found at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/ RealPlayer is needed to hear the audio information that is provided with the paintings you select to view. RealPlayer 8 Basic (free download) is available at:http://www.real.com/player/index.html?src=010524realhome_1
Identify Major Learning Goals:
This site presents a virtual tour of the actual Van Gogh exhibition,
which was at the National Gallery of Art from October 4, 1998 through January 3, 1999. Students will appreciate the historical and cultural context of Van Gogh's work by taking the virtual tour from National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC.
Target Student Population:
This section asks for Student Audience, but the reviewer might also include how an instructor might find the site useful. The target audience for this site is middle school, high school, college level students, and teachers in viewing and learning more the works of Van Gogh.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
The ability to navigate a web page (virtual tour) and to download and install any needed plug-ins. Students should have some basic understanding that artwork has historical and cultural contexts. These contexts help us to see and learn from the piece we are viewing.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
This site is a visually appealing, has substantial content, and provides a thorough representation of the Van Gogh exhibition. This virtual tour takes the viewer through the actual halls of the exhibition. Descriptions of the pieces and historical background information, which were originally posted on the walls of the exhibition, are viewed on screen in their entirety. An audio version is also available to make this site accessible to a wider audience. Historical information, audio information, a general site map on every page, and the ability to zoom in on images and even view them at a full screen size make this site very impressive and useful for art education and art history teaching, research, and learning.
Concerns:
The VR tour works best with the newest version of QuickTime 5.0. Early versions make take more time to bring up the images and some may have some trouble
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
The quality of the images and the supporting audio is excellent. The QuickTime VR tour choice actually replicates the walls and rooms of the National Gallery of Art. Virtual tour help is available on each page. The layout of the site with the many choices for the viewer provides several ways that the exhibit can be used for learning. This site would also work well as a link from an online course. Choice is a feature here.
General Comments: An understanding of how students can learn about art history by going through a review, comparison, or research process (not simply collecting facts) makes this site exciting.
Concerns:
If you are going to visit this site, download and install QuickTime 5.0 and RealPlayer 8 Basic for the best experience.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
Two versions of the tour are presented: one needs QuickTime and the other does not. The two versions are equally easy to use and all material is available in both formats. Themes or topics group Van Gogh's paintings,
which allows for quick and efficient viewing of particular images. Some examples are: Early Works, Self-Portraits, Arles, and Japanese Influence. There are imbedded links that accompany the text for each image that is viewed. The links allow for quick connections between paintings that have something in common such as an art technique or concept.
Concerns:
Be aware that the site does use frames. The use of frames clearly enhances the support, the viewing choices, and the audio access.
Creative Commons:
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