The Frick Pittsburgh is testing out a new collection app!

And we are excited to share what we have been working on with you. About a year ago, The Frick joined over 60 museums located in the US, Mexico, and the European Union to participate in a pilot project, called Second Canvas Modules (scModules), designed and managed by Madpixel, the world’s leading company in super-high-resolution digitization of art.

Participating in the project has been an opportunity to work in collaboration with the team at Madpixel to digitize seven works of art from our collection in super-high resolution, develop a mobile app experience built around those images, and to network with museum peers who are experimenting with creating their own mobile apps. 

A behind the scenes look at the photographing and digitization process.

When planning our app, it was important to our team that we create an experience that would enhance our gallery interpretation and encourage visitors to spend time looking at the real art. We chose to digitize three paintings that are highlights of the collection, represent key facets of the collection, and that are usually on display, so that the app would remain relevant. The paintings also needed to have a special element worthy of viewing in super-high def—fine detail, interesting brushwork, even hidden secrets. It was hard to choose, but we settled on: 
 

Francesco Guardi (Italian, 1712–1793). View on the Grand Canal at San Geremia, Venice, 1760-1765. Oil on canvas. Frick Art & Historical Center, 1984.26.

Jean-Baptiste Pater (French, 1695- 1736). Le Repos dans le parc, no date. Oil on canvas. Frick Art & Historical Center, 1970.44.

Giovanni di Paolo (Sienese, c. 1398-1483). Nativity, c. 1450. Tempera on panel. Frick Art & Historical Center, 1973.30.

Next, we started to think about what the technology could allow us to do that we could not do through traditional display and interpretation methods. What would take full advantage of this project? Some readers may know that Henry Clay Frick amassed a beautiful and rare collection of Jean François Millet pastels—one of the largest in the country. He displayed them at Clayton, and they remain in our collection. If you didn’t know or you haven’t seen them, it’s because these artworks are very rarely displayed, and even more rarely displayed as a full set. They are light-sensitive and extremely fragile, made with what conservators call friable media, meaning that vibration can loosen the pastel pigments from the paper, losing the artist’s original image. Through super-high-resolution photography, we realized we could digitally unpack our favorites from storage, and share them with visitors in an interactive experience that is accessible here at the museum, or wherever you are, no special appointment needed.  
 

Jean-François Millet (French, 1814–1875). Shepherd Minding His Sheep, c. 1863-66. Pastel, conté crayon, and pen and ink on dark buff wove paper. Frick Art & Historical Center, 1984.5.

Jean-François Millet (French, 1814–1875). Flight of Crows (La Fermière), c. 1866. Conté crayon and pastel on blue-gray wove paper. Frick Art & Historical Center, 1984.6.

Jean-François Millet (French, 1814–1875), Le Puy de Dôme, c. 1866-68. Conté crayon and pastel on gray wove paper. Frick Art & Historical Center, 1984.8.

Jean-François Millet (French, 1814–1875), The Sower, c. 1865. Pastel on tan wove paper. Frick Art & Historical Center, 1984.9. 

Download the app, explore the artwork, and see what you discover. Even our Chief Curator and Director of Collections saw something new in one of her favorite paintings! 

Francesco Guardi (Italian, 1712–1793). View on the Grand Canal at San Geremia, Venice, 1760-1765. Oil on canvas. Frick Art & Historical Center, 1984.26.


Jean-Baptiste Pater (French, 1695- 1736). Le Repos dans le parc, no date. Oil on canvas. Frick Art & Historical Center, 1970.44.


Jean-François Millet (French, 1814–1875). Shepherd Minding His Sheep, c. 1863-66. Pastel, conté crayon, and pen and ink on dark buff wove paper. Frick Art & Historical Center, 1984.5. 

Don’t forget to share your favorite details—mine is this sweet rabbit from Giovanni di Paolo’s Nativity.

Giovanni di Paolo (Sienese, c. 1398-1483). Nativity, c. 1450 (detail). Tempera on panel. Frick Art & Historical Center, 1973.30.

The app will be available to the public through the end of November 2019. See the details for yourself!