The Louvre - a closer look at artworks

The official Louvre website has many different interactive tools with which one can learn more about pieces of art and their history. One of the best tools that they have is called "A Closer Look." This tool contains videos and art historical information about over a dozen important pieces of art housed in the Louvre. Formal analysis and contextual research combine with intense close-ups and videos to give the viewer more information than they would get if they went to the museum and saw the work in person. For example, you can find out exactly which flowers are in the garden of Jan van Eyck's Virgin and Child with Chancellor Rolin (1435) and why they were chosen; as art historians know, nothing is thrown into a work of art without reason. If Renaissance art is not your thing you can also learn about the Winged Victory of Samothrace (c.190 BCE), a portrait of the Marquise de Pompadour by Maurice-Quentin Delatour, or the ancient Code of Hammurabi, among many others. Museum websites often offer these wonderful tools so why not take advantage of this easy and fun way to learn?---posted by JMB