It’s an exciting time for art. No longer do we have to visit museums to see incredible artworks, we can now view them in the palm of our hands. Lucky for us, iPhone apps have been developed that will educate us on everything from fine art to modern art, presenting us with classic works we’re already familiar with or introducing us to new works we’ve never seen. Today, we’ve brought together a list of iPhone apps that we believe every art enthusiast should have. From companion museum apps to a creative painting app, these seven have been carefully chosen with you, the art lover, in mind.
1. Art
Simply called Art, this is the best selling art app on the iPhone. It currently features 204 artists (with more added on an ongoing basis) with full biographies from Wikipedia and over 6,000 images. To learn more about each artist, simply search by artist name or birth, and then view their works or read their biographies. This app even has a quiz section where you can test your art history knowledge in a fun, interactive game. (The app shows you a piece of art and then asks you to name the artist.) There’s even a “most expensive art” section where you can view some highly regarded works by world famous artists like Gustav Klimt and Vincent van Gogh. For those interested in learning more about fine art, this is the best app you’ll find.
2. Art Authority
If you’d like a comprehensive overview of art, check out Art Authority. Here you’ll find works by over 1,000 of the western world’s most prolific artists. This app has over 40,000 paintings and sculptures displayed chronologically for each artist. When you first launch this app, you’ll notice that you can look through all the artists or view them by time period. Let’s say you’re interested in Impressionism – click on that section to see a choice of an Overview, all artists or to check out each subgroup, in this case American, French, Neo-Impressionists or Post-Impressionists. Once in Overview, you can always click “about This topic” to be launched into Wikipedia where you can learn about that particular art movement. This app is easy to navigate and very well organized, particularly if you’re looking to educate yourself on a specific artist or genre of art.
3. Behance Network: Creative Portfolios & Galleries
Behance recently released an iPhone app that lets you sort through millions of projects by today’s most exciting artists and designers. Click “explore the network” to browse by feature, most recent, most viewed, most discussed or most appreciated, or click on their curated galleries section to be launched into a special area where you can explore everything from typography and illustration to fashion and photography. As a great compliment to their popular website, this app also allows creatives to manage their account by letting them access their statistics or display their projects on their phone without an Internet connection. Just like that, you can now have your portfolio in your pocket!
4. Brushes
If there’s one app you’ll want on your iPhone when you’re struck with a bolt of creative inspiration, it’s Brushes. This painting application was designed specifically for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad and comes with a multitude of features that lets you become the modern-day painter. As the name suggests, Brushes allows you to paint right on your screen using the tip of your fingers. Great for both beginners or more seasoned artists, Brushes became well-known after a New Yorker Magazine cover was created using this $4.99 app. The artist behind it, Jorge Colombo, told The New York Times he loves the app because it “made it easy for me to sketch without having to carry all my pens and brushes and notepads with me, and I like the fact that I am drawing with a set of tools that anybody can have easily in their pocket.”
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