Digital technology fosters wider art audiences

Digital technology is starting to make a splash in the art world. For art lovers, that means greater convenience, as new innovations are giving them greater access to famous works.

Ukiyo-e master Katsushika Hokusai painted his “Phoenix” around 180 years ago. Today it adorns the ceiling of a temple in central Japan.

Telecom giant NTT East has led an effort to digitalize it. The image was reproduced with 30 billion pixels and then printed on paper.

The new digital version is on show at an art museum in Tokyo. Visitors can easily view it up close.

Projection-mapping technology allows them to feel as if they are inside the temple, with the work displayed on the ceiling.

NTT ArtTechnology President Kunieda Manabu says he hopes to promote digitalized art overseas as well. He believes the technology can help revitalize local communities.

Another museum has re-created an online exhibit.
The project by the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art and Design in central Japan shows the gallery in three dimensions. That means people can view the spaces from different angles.

Museum officials say their projects are expanding and fostering a new crowd of art lovers.