Subscribe via RSS Feed

National Gallery, London — iPad App Review

By | March 23, 2012 | 3 comments
Share |

The iPad’s ability to bring information to the user in an easy-to-consume form has revolutionized personal tech. While gaming and social media apps top many user’s lists, the iPad also excels as a tool for cultural exploration. There are a number of art appreciation apps that bring great works of art to our fingertips. While many apps (i.e. Overdamped) focus on a particular artist, and others such as Art Authority act as an ad-hoc art survey course, Macsoftex’ National Gallery, London zeroes in on the works housed in the museum after which it is named.

The National Gallery of London focuses on Western European painting from the 13th to the 19th centuries, as does the corresponding iOS app. This approach gives the user a feel for what it would be like to take a trip to the gallery without the pricey transatlantic flight.
National Gallery, London organizes the artists alphabetically according to the century in which they painted from the 1400s through the 1900s. There are works by Renoir, Van Gogh, Turner, Manet, Del Greco, and Delacroix, as well as a solid selection of portraiture and religious art. Twentieth century offerings are rather limited, so this app is not for modernist devotees.

The user can also sort the artists by name, though oddly, they are alphabetized by first, rather than last name, so if you can’t remember Pisarro’s first name, for example (Camille), it’s better to use the app’s search engine. The app contains six of his works, however, including his stunning portrait The Louvre Under Snow.

Users may save an image as a photo, as well as email or publish the work to Facebook. HD versions of the works are available to download through the app as well. Any grouping of paintings (e.g. by century or artist) can also be viewed as a slideshow. Users have the option to star favorite paintings and view them as a group.

Download National Gallery, London from the App Store for $1.99. It is a universal app that will run on the iPhone or iPod touch as well as the iPad.

What I liked: The images all look stunning. The app accommodates both landscape or portrait orientation, so each painting can be viewed as it would hang on a wall. Viewing one museum’s holdings offers a different perspective than other iOS art apps.

What I didn’t like: The UI is underwhelming and the paintings are not organized meaningfully beyond being grouped by century.

To buy or not to buy: The app is a solid value for the number of paintings it delivers, without bells and whistles.

email

About Emily: Emily is a freelance writer who loves discovering new apps whenever she can pry the iPad away from her children or husband. You can contact her via Twitter: @whatwentwrite

  • Phil

    Is your website only aimed at a USA audience? I live in England and don’t need to make a transAtlantic flight to London

    • http://www.facebook.com/ekbecker Emily Becker

      Thanks for your comment Phil. Of course the site isn’t aimed just at a US audience. I was trying to make the point that this app brings paintings to the user wherever they may be and chose to use a specific rather than a general phrase to do so.

  • Nosgoth1979

    Thanks for this. I just downloaded this app and already love it, and I probably wouldn’t have ever heard of it, if not for your blog, especially because this isn’t the king of app I’d ever really look for. Most of my time on the iPad is spent on the Dish Remote Access app my employer, DISH, released a while ago. Combined with a Sling Adapter hooked up to my receiver at home it lets me stream all my content (both live channels and DVR’d stuff) where ever I go. It’s awesome while I travel.