Architecture · Art Appreciation 101 · Historic Places

Tour Great Architecture from Anywhere

Want to enjoy great architecture from your couch? I recently discovered a host of virtual tours of famous works of architecture. How cool is that? While you can never truly experience a place from a computer screen, it's nice to have the option when travelling to the site in person isn't in your schedule (or budget). All of the tours listed are 360° experiences, not just pictures.

Museums

Art at Vassar: The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center

The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center is a small art museum on the campus of Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York. The museum contains a little bit of everything, but its claim to fame is probably its many Hudson River School paintings. The rest of the collection ranges from ancient to contemporary works in small quantities.

Books · Italian

The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr

While stocking up on books for an impending snow storm, I found Jonathan Harr's The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece (Random House, 2006) on the library shelf and picked it up on a whim. During the actual storm the following day, I devoured the entire book in a few hours and only wished it were longer (the… Continue reading The Lost Painting by Jonathan Harr

European Art · Italian

December 3rd: the Archangel Michael by Guido Reni

What would Christmas be without some angels? This striking painting of the Michael the Archangel is by Italian Baroque painter Guido Reni (1575-1642). In characteristic Baroque fashion, the painting is full of drama. The large figure of Michael is wearing Roman battle attire prepares to impale a tough-looking man representing Satan. Behind him is a shadowy setting with rocks in… Continue reading December 3rd: the Archangel Michael by Guido Reni