medievalpoc:A visitor touches a textured version of Velázquez’s “The Triumph of Bacchus” (1628–29) a
medievalpoc:A visitor touches a textured version of Velázquez’s “The Triumph of Bacchus” (1628–29) at the Prado (All images courtesy of Museo del Prado)Museo del Prado Leads the Charge Toward Better Accessibility for the BlindMany of us have felt the flash of embarrassment that comes when a stern museum guard scolds us for getting too close to the artwork. Paintings are for looking, not touching. It’s an understandable rule that fends off grubby fingers, but unfortunately, it also sidelines the blind.Museo del Prado has begun tackling this problem by doing away with those conventions entirely. Touching the Prado, an exhibition put on in collaboration with the ONCE and AXA foundations, invites visually impaired people to touch relief replicas of six collection masterpieces.Visitors can run their fingers past the stiff, ruffled collar of Velasquez’s prim “Nobleman with his Hand on his Chest” (1580), over the billowing, silky skirt folds of the woman in Goya’s “The Parasol“ (1777), or across the enigmatic smile of the sitter in “La Giaconda” (1503 – 1519), a da Vinci workshop copy of the famous painting. They can also touch three-dimensional versions of “Noli me Tangere” (1525) by Correggio,”Vulcan’s Forge” (1630) by Velasquez, and “Still Life with Artichokes, Flowers, and Glass Vessels (1627) by Juan van der Hamen. Braille wall text and an audio guide fully describing the works offer additional context.Read More at HyperAllergicThis is relevant to my interests, and I hope yours as well! -- source link