Get up close to the surprising details in these iconic artworks
Have you ever wondered what your favorite paintings look like up close? Zoom in to millions of artworks with Google Arts & Culture to admire the brushstrokes and spot hidden details you've never seen before. Here are 12 you'll love...
The Starry Night, by Vincent Van Gogh
Zoom in to the artwork to see the cracks in the paint...
The Tower of Babel, by Pieter Bruegel the Elder
Zoom in to the artwork to spot the tiny horses...
Jadeite Cabbage, by unknown
Zoom in to the artwork to spot the hidden grasshopper...
The Kiss, by Gustav Klimt
Zoom in to the artwork to spot the layers of gold leaf...
Radha and Krishna in the Boat of Love, by Nihâl Chand
Zoom in to the artwork to see the individual blades of grass...
Hare, by Albrecht Dürer
Zoom in to the artwork to see what's reflected in the hare's eye...
The Ambassadors, by Hans Holbein the Younger
Zoom in on the artwork to spot the optical illusion of a skull...
Textile length, 'Bird' by William Morris
Zoom in to the artwork to see the individual threads in the fabric...
No Woman, No Cry, by Chris Ofili
Zoom in to the artwork to find the tiny photographs...
Detroit Industry, North Wall, by Diego Riviera
Zoom in to the artwork to see the brushstrokes of the mural...
Ceiling for the Paris Opéra, by Marc Chagall
Zoom in to the artwork to see the colors in the petals...
Sailing, Storm Bay, Tasmania, by Haughton Forrest
Zoom into the artwork to see the sailor in the other boat...
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It’s all too easy to think of art as a relatively recent invention - the product of the last few thousand or so years. The Romans and Greeks sculpted, we have stunning tapestries from the Medieval period and majestic paintings from the Renaissance. But humans have always had the urge to create works of art. And no single piece highlights that better than the Lion Man, of Ulm Museum.
This astonishing work of art is believed to be around 40,000 years old. He stands just 31cm tall, with the head of lion on a human body, upright on his toes with legs slightly apart. However, even though the body is human in form this too has a distinct cat-like quality.
His eyes seem to stare right back at the viewer, with detail and character in the face almost hinting that this creature is listening, watching and waiting – perhaps getting ready to pounce.
This small but beautiful statue is the oldest known artwork to depict a physical form that does not naturally occur. It suggests a belief in the other, the mythical or even the magical.
It's impossible to know why he was made, or indeed, who made him. What we do know is that he was found in a cave in southern Germany in 1939. He is made from a mammoth tusk and depicts a type of lion that was once prevalent in this part of Europe but long since extinct.
This European lion was slightly larger than its African cousin, with no mane. It’s almost certain that lions like those depicted, and humans like those who carved this piece of art would have come into regular contact. Though who was the hunter and who the hunted is impossible to know. Perhaps this piece is an offering or totem reflecting the artist's respect for the other creatures with whom they shared a world.
What we can be certain of is that this is not a casual piece of work. Experiments with the materials and form have shown it would have taken around 400 hours to carve. This is a huge amount of time given contemporary lifestyles and the fact this artwork had no practical purpose that could aid survival. But then, maybe it was something more important than that?
The statue was found in Stadel Cave, a north facing, cold and damp environment. Not a place where anyone could have lived permanently. Lion Man was found in a small antechamber, stashed away in the darkness. Whoever put it there was hiding it or keeping it safe, so it must have had great significance.
In fact, Lion Man may be the oldest known evidence we have for religious belief. In 2017, UNESCO acknowledged this fact by recognising Stadel Cave as a World Heritage Site.
If your interested in prehistoric art has been piqued, you can find out about other significant works here.
Historic innovations in technology covers the invention of tools and techniques to transform and explore environments. Technological change is a force for economic growth and societal change, which also affects social and cultural traditions. New knowledge acquired over time empowers people to reshape and improve their worlds.
The Institution of Civil Engineers is the world's oldest professional engineering body. Its global membership has transformed the world since 1818. The Candidates Circulars are membership application certificates which provide a unique biographical record of engineers.
The Candidates Circulars chronicles the engineer’s role in shaping civilization and a provides socio-economic insight into their backgrounds. The certificates record personal contributions to what has become known as the Industrial Revolution and the infrastructure of the Modern World.
Three giant glass plate negatives – measuring 1.35 x 0.94 meters (53” x 37”) – are understood to be the world’s largest 19th century wet-process negatives. These images record the view of Sydney Harbour in 1875, documenting the future site of the UNESCO world-heritage listed Sydney Opera House. Bernhardt Holterman was determined to promote his adopted home to the world through photography.
With Charles Bayliss they designed a 23-meter (87 foot) high purpose-built tower, turning the 3 meter-square (10 foot) room at the top into a giant camera. There, they created a series of colossal wet-process negatives capturing one of the world’s greatest harbours in photographs bigger than had been ever thought possible, and toured them around the globe.
Sydney Opera House, Sydney NSW, Australia
The Semmering Railway is a topographically challenging section of what is known as the Sudbahn or southern railway line. It made it possible to travel in comfort by rail from Vienna and reach the eastern foothills of the Alps in Austria in only two hours. It’s one of the world's first mountain railways.
The Documents on the Semmering Railway, from 1844-1910, detail the evolution of a major construction site and how the railway line’s, viaducts, and tunnels were built using engineering resources. They show technical innovations in the 19th century and the awareness that technical projects require meticulous documentation.
The Archives of Suzhou Silk from Modern and Contemporary Times cover technical research, production management, trading and marketing, and the foreign exchange of many Suzhou silk enterprises and organizations from the 19th century to the end of 20th century. They contain a large number of export trade certifications and pattern designs, along with silk samples with high preservation value.
These Archives have witnessed the change of Chinese silk industry from traditional workshop to industrial production; which reflect the East-West trade exchanges and culture changes of more than a century. The historical and international significance of the archives also echoes with the current exchanges between countries along the route of “Belt and Road” initiative.
The Landsat Program Records are recognized by scientists as the only accurate image record, spanning nearly four decades, of the Earth’s land surfaces, coastlines, and reefs at a scale revealing both natural and human-induced change in existence to users in over 180 countries.
The Records are obtained and continuously updated by sensors onboard a series of land-imaging satellites, since 1972. The data is critical to the discovery, monitoring, and understanding of changes to the Earth’s surface caused by climate, human impact, and natural disasters.