Revised with commentary There’s nothing like seeing a work of art in person.  After all, do projected Powerpoints or captioned dimensions really mean anything? After spending a semester abroad last spring, and standing in front of famous artwork for the first time, I reaffirmed just how important seeing the true size of art in relation to a person is — it almost always adds a whole new dimension to the work. This little series called Art in Real Life aims to add a little of that feeling to internet-art-viewing by presenting photos of art history’s master works in real life.

The first installment of “Art in Real Life” is in Paris, home to countless masterworks of art. I was lucky enough to go to Paris when I was abroad, and annoyed many of my friends by insisting they stand in front of artwork so I could get shots of how large the piece actually was.  Have you, too, wondered just how big David’s Oath of the Horatii is or whether you’re taller than the Mona Lisa?  Read on for highlights at the Louvre and the Musée d’Orsay.

(Read On…)

Ever wanted to practice your child’s pose or downward dog surrounded by incredible works of art?  Turns out you can — at UNC Chapel Hill’s Ackland Art Museum, where weekly yoga programs are offered in the Asian galleries. Although I was a little shocked at first at the idea of any sport-related anything being done in a museum, on second thought, yoga seems like the perfect activity in a calm, quiet, well-lit atmosphere surrounded by beautiful objects. Now, to convince my college museum to move yoga from the gym to the galleries…

Yoga in the Galleries, at the Ackland Art Museum

Sometimes, it’s nice to be reminded of the magic that comes from standing in front of a work of art in person. The Met’s latest podcast, a discussion worth listening to between two greats–Philippe de Montebello and curator Keith Christiansen–on the famous Duccio acquisition did just that for me tonight.