By Keith Freund, Akron Art Museum

Early in the process of beta testing the Akron Art Museum’s new Online Collection website, many testers have commented on how much they enjoy being able to look at detail shots of the art.

While a straight-on image provides an overall view of an object, it often doesn’t give the visitor to our virtual gallery a true sense of what the art looks like in person. Using new digital close-ups and multiple angles, we can bring out the depth and complexity of a work that more closely resembles the physical experience of the work. This is obviously the case with sculptures but is also important for many paintings and works on paper that emphasize texture and surface. Additional shots of the objects installed in the museum’s galleries help to establish a sense of scale for someone viewing our virtual galleries.

Our curatorial staff is working with photographers to highlight areas and angles that they feel capture and reveal the core of the artwork. With multiple shots revealing angles and views guided by our knowledgeable staff, a visitor to our online collection can understand the physicality of the object.

We plan to offer a continuing in-depth look at our artwork as the project progresses.