Apps for Art Lovers

Mobile technology devices like smartphones and tablets have transformed the way we experience boredom. From virtual tours of the National Museum of Indonesia to the actual tour you can do by yourself by following the self-guided walking tour that entice art lovers, there are plenty of smartphone apps on the market for creative minds. Here’s a list of the 5 must-have mobile apps for art lovers that we’ve put together to spark creativity in your everyday life. These apps will surely show you that there are still something good in life that you can get for free!

Jakarta Map and Walks

Living up to its motto, “Lose Yourself Without Getting Lost”, Jakarta Map and Walks app allows you to follow several self-guided walking tours to explor the world famous attractions and hidden gems in Jakarta, such as museums and historical buildings. Built for iOS and Android users, this app turns your mobile device into a personal tour guide and its built-in GPS navigation functions guide you from one tour stop to next.

The app comes with a detailed and fully functional city map to assist you explore the city on foot and locate sights because there’s no better way to see a city at your own pace. You can also track your steps, take photos along the way, and then share your tracks and photos with friends. The best part of using this app while sightseeing is all the data used in this app is built into the software, so you don’t need internet access or cellular data plan.

The National Museum of Indonesia

The National Museum is the best of its kind in Indonesia and definitely deserves a visit. The museum is well-known among the Indonesian people, and many of the inhabitants of Jakarta call it “the Elephant Building/Museum“because of the large bronze statue of an elephant, presented by King Chulalongkorn of Siam (Thailand) when he paid a state visit to the museum in 1871, standing in the front yard. You will see the enormous collection that begins around an open courtyard of the 1862 building which is stacked with magnificent millennia-old statuary, including a colossal 4.5m stone image of a Bhairawa king from Rambahan in Sumatra, who is shown trampling on human skulls.

Luckily, The National Museum of Indonesia is the very first museum to have a mobile app (for Android users only), which provides information about collections, exhibitions, opening hours, and directions. Published in October 2016, The National Museum of Indonesia mobile app allows you to access the calendar and floor plans, also search and bookmark collections. The audio guide for exhibitions is also available for purchase.

Arsty


Titled “The Pandora of Classic and Contemporary Art”, this app allows you access to images, collections, and playlist-esque groupings of art. Similar to music sharing apps, you can search by artists or keywords, which means Artsy is built to satisfy your hunger of art exploration and such a perfect resource for finding new art and artists to ogle and share with your friends. With over 270.000 artworks for sale from the top galleries and auction houses on its list, Artsy users in iOS and Android can find the perfect artwork, contact art galleries, and bid on live auctions on the go. You can also follow artists for personalized recommendations and get real time updates when new artworks become available at an auction, art fair, or new gallery show. Artsy, in a nutshell, is the art world in your pocket.

Moleskine Notes

Everyone loves putting their ink on Moleskines, but sometimes it’s a bit frustrating only to have your notes, doodles, and sketches on paper. That’s why Moleskine has launched the Smart Writing Set, a physical notebook that works with the accompanying smart pen and Moleskine Notes app to transfer your scribblings into digital form, and send them to your iOS or Android phone and tablet in real time. The Smart Writing Set proudly stated that the app, along with its special Paper Tablet notebook and smart Pen+ is the legendary way to write, the latest way to curate and share, which shows us how to easily create digital text and images, instantly digitize notes and sketches made on paper, and share them right away with your smartphone or tablet.

The “Touch Van Gogh”

We often read warning, such as “Don’t Touch the Art” in most museum, which prevents hungry art admirers to be as close as possible to masterpieces. In contrast with it, the “Touch Van Gogh” app lets you put your fingers on Vincent van Gogh’s storied works, which have a strange and interesting history behind. Built for iOS and Android tablet users, this app allows you to unlock the secrets behind Van Gogh’s famously dreamy works, letters and sketches, biographical information and research findings that shed new light on the art works and their maker. Simply ‘touch’ Van Gogh’s masterpieces and let the paintings tell their stories. The surprises in store include revelations about recycled canvases, discoloured pigments and Van Gogh’s use of a perspective frame.