Digitized sections of a handscroll that are stitched together can be viewed as a continuous virtual image in the computer through which one can scroll, stop and look more closely, or go back, much as one would experience the actual painting. The digital imaging liberates the viewer from the single viewpoint presented in photographs and slides and creates an exciting tool for teaching and the study of these works of art. It allows the building of interfaces to add text and sound annotations, and zoom properties along with the scrolling capability.
It is especially important considering the difficulty of seeing the very fragile and priceless original paintings, which are seldom displayed. We are creating a prototype for the digital scrolling paintings that can be used to build a database of paintings for teaching and research purposes. For this the Center has received support from the Provost’s Program for Academic Technology Innovation.
The work on this project is progressing on two fronts. The first is to scan existing reproductions into an electronic learning environment for a course site in Chalk. The second is to acquire digital photographs of original paintings to produce a database for research and education purposes. We foresee broad applications and opportunities for interdisciplinary uses. We anticipate expanding the project into related areas of art, including Japanese and Korean paintings and other media, building on the accessibility of this technology with other study programs and institutions such as museums.
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