Imagine every time you open a new Chrome tab, you get a new work of art.
The Art Institute of Chicago’s Google extension, Art Tab, places a random image from their giant collection into every new Chrome browser tab. Very much like Google Arts & Culture. Except, the Art Institute’s image doesn’t fill the entire browser window like Google’s extension.
I forked the code in the Art Institute’s plugin to fill the entire browser window; and I love it. (If anyone wants my forked full-screen version, let me know)
Here are some of my favorite artworks this month from the Art Tab
This drawing is so dark and mysterious.
Especially how his head is just peering up from the bottom of my browser. The heavy black tones are achieved by drypoint and aquatint on ivory laid paper.
- Portrait of Myself, 1901
- Theodore Roussel
- French, worked in England, 1847-1926
Whoa. Click through to the uncropped artwork. CHECK OUT THOSE CLAWS. This shouldn’t be too surprising. It is a hawk after all.
Yes, Hawk. I do have too many browser add-ons in my toolbar.
- Hawk, from The Picture Book of Realistic Paintings of Hokusai (Hokusai shashin gafu), c. 1814
- Katsushika Hokusai 葛飾 北斎
- Japanese, 1760-1849
What do you think is happening in this scene?
Are they going into that body of water? Determined in spite of the storm? Or are they trying to get out of the water? Fearful for their lives.
- Lake of Thun, plate 15 from Liber Studiorum
- published June 10, 1808 Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775-1851)
- Engraved by Charles Turner (English, 1773-1857)
THIS is a pretty cool thing to see as the wallpaper for a browser tab.
GAUNTLET FOR THE RIGHT HAND
- Fingered Gauntlet for the Right Hand
- c. 1600/20
- Flemish
The Art Institute of Chicago has a pillow case in their collection.
Is it just me or do you want to see this pillow case ironed?
- Pillow Cover, 1875/1900
- Switzerland
The Art Institute of Chicago has some FUNKY stuff in their collection.
A wooden rooster. Artist unknown, dated 1850-1900.
These 1813 sketches of a cavalry battle have a feeling of an animation storyboard.
Géricault was ahead of his time!
- Sketches for a Cavalry Battle and a Mounted Officer, 1813/1814
- Jean Louis André Théodore Géricault
- French, 1791-1824
Hello, random doodle of a sideways man in my browser.
Where did you come from?
- Caricature of a Man Wearing a Broad-Brimmed Hat
- Jean Louis André Théodore Géricault of 1818/19
This is a nice pretty bowl to appear randomly in your browser.
Hello, bowl.
- Ruby Red-Ground Famille-Rose ‘Floral’ Bowl
- Qing dynasty (1644–1911), Jiaqing period (1796–1821)
- China
The cropping for these images is often so much fun.
What is this? A seashell? A black fish?
- Obvious Love (Arawaruru koi), from the series “Anthology of Poems: The Love Section (Kasen koi no bu)”, c. 1793/94
- Kitagawa Utamaro 喜多川 歌麿
- Japanese, 1753 (?)-1806
Details in looseness
Another advantage of this full-screen art is the close-ups you get. This artwork is amazing, because it appears to be a bunch of loose diagonal lines. But There’s a face in there. A nicely defined face.
- Rosita Mauri, 1889 by Anders Zorn
- Swedish, 1860-1920
The tip of the Spontoon is shown
- Spontoon of the Holstein Regtiment, 1700/1800, Swedish
A cute sketch page from Paul Gauguin
- Le sourire: Journal sérieux, Aug. 21, 1899
- Paul Gauguin
- French, 1848-1903
For a moment I thought I was looking at the castle on the south side of Chicago
- Chaucer’s Tower Near Benham, 1806
- Antoine Philippe d’Orléans
- French, 1775-1807
The cropping of this photo is intriguing.
What is this man looking at?
- The Actor Sakata Hangoro III as the Groom Abumizuri no Iwazo in Koriyama, Actually Kurisaka Taro Tomonori (SAndai-me Sakata Hangoro no Koriyama no Umakata Abumizuri no Iwazo, jitsuwa Kurisaka Taro Tomonori), 1794
- Toshusai Sharaku 東洲斎 写楽
- Japanese, active 1794-95
If anyone wants my forked version of the add-on, let me know. I’ll gladly share.