Software:Microsoft Art Gallery

From HandWiki

Microsoft Art Gallery is a 1993 educational and interactive guide for the London National Gallery published by Microsoft.

Production

The software was originally developed by Cognitive Applications in the UK in 1991 as a multimedia learning tool for use in Britain's National Gallery.[1] Originally called "Micro Gallery", Microsoft released a digitised version entitled Microsoft Art Gallery.[2] The software went on sale in Britain in October 1993, and was released in Australia later that year.[3]

Content

The title allows players to explore various works of art in an interactive and multimedia way. It features the work of the national Gallery of London.[4] The title contains schema links, allowing the player to explore related content in a seamless way.[5]

Critical reception

PC Mag thought the software was "stylishly designed and carefully presented",[6] further praising its elegant and easily navigable interface.[7] When comparing art titles, The New York Times felt the title would appeal to those with "more Catholic taste",[8] and praised its "authoritative professionalism" as standing out from other titles in the genre.[2] The paper Hypermedia Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Issues deemed the title an "outstanding" and "enjoyable" application.[5] Art historian James Moore who reviewed the CD-ROM late in 2001 felt the software was primitive from a 2001 perspective.[9] PC World thought that lovers of art would be able to easily sink hours into the title.[10]

References

  1. "Bill's Bounty: A Digital Art Gallery". Wired. April 1994. https://www.wired.com/1994/04/bills-bounty-a-digital-art-gallery/. 
  2. 2.0 2.1 Sharratt, Bernard (1994-03-06). "Please Touch the Paintings". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/06/books/please-touch-the-paintings.html. 
  3. "The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales on October 18, 1993 · Page 38". https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/120091845/. 
  4. Corporation, Bonnier (1 August 1994). "Popular Science". Bonnier Corporation. https://books.google.com/?id=mLwOD94j9YUC&pg=PA18&lpg=PA18&dq=%22Microsoft+Art+Gallery%22#v=onepage&q=%22Microsoft+Art+Gallery%22&f=false. 
  5. 5.0 5.1 Garzotto, Franca; Mainetti, Luca; Paolini, Paolo (1998). "Hypermedia, Design, Analysis, and Evaluation Issues". Communications of the ACM 38 (8): 74–86. doi:10.1145/208344.208349. 
  6. Inc, Ziff Davis (28 March 1995). "PC Mag". Ziff Davis, Inc.. https://books.google.com/?id=eMKimy4DFaEC&pg=PA134&lpg=PA134&dq=%22Microsoft+Art+Gallery%22#v=onepage&q=%22Microsoft+Art+Gallery%22&f=false. 
  7. Inc, Ziff Davis (13 September 1994). "PC Mag". Ziff Davis, Inc.. https://books.google.com/?id=WKaekAHjQ1EC&pg=PA128&lpg=PA128&dq=%22Microsoft+Art+Gallery%22#v=onepage&q=%22Microsoft+Art+Gallery%22&f=false. 
  8. Shannon, L. R. (November 22, 1994). "Screen Savers As Art, or Vice Versa". The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/1994/11/22/science/peripherals-screen-savers-as-art-or-vice-versa.html. 
  9. "Building Computerized Cathedrals for Learning". 17 May 2001. https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2001/05/building-computerized-cathedrals-for-learning/. 
  10. Yraolagoitia., Jaime de. "Art Gallery". https://www.pcworld.es/articulos/boletin-de-noticias/art-gallery-484046/.