Google's Cultural Institue Bolsters Collection

The Google Cultural Institute is one of Mountain View’s less high-profile initiatives, but a noble effort nonetheless. After the 2011 launch of the Google Art Project, the Cultural Institute was created to digitally preserve and make available some of the world’s most important cultural artifacts.

Today, Google announced the digital addition of a number of new artworks to the Cultural Institute, bringing its total collection to more than 57,000 entries. The new additions mostly center on a French style of painting that aims to manipulate details in such a way as to make them appear three-dimensional.     

“At the Cultural Institute we’ve been taking a break from our holiday shopping to feast our eyes on a different kind of gift — the gift of ingenious art that plays tricks on our eyes,” the company wrote in a Google Blog post. “Called Trompe l'oeil, which means ‘fool the eye’ in French, these techniques require complete control over every detail of size, color, light and gradation of color so that a two-dimensional work appears to be three-dimensional. You can see several examples amongst the new content being launched by 34 global partners today on the Cultural Institute and across our entire collection of more than 57,000 artworks.”

In addition to the new paintings, Google has also added a number of sculptures and artifacts from various regions and cultures. According to the company, the commonality between each of the new pieces is some form of “visual trickery.”

“From Trompe l'oeil to archaeological artifacts, royal portraits and famous scientists, there’s a lot to discover in the latest collection, which comes from all over the world. Enjoyed the visual trickery? See what else can you spot and tell us your favorite examples on our Google+ page.”

While the Cultural Institute no doubt features many breathtaking works of art, we here at DroidReport still encourage you to occasionally venture outside to check out a real museum.