Masterpieces of Painting Displayed in a Museum for Blind Individuals

The "Del Prado" museum in Madrid, Spain's capital, has utilized modern technology to reconstruct a number of famous paintings in a three-dimensional format to make them accessible to individuals with visual impairments. While three-dimensional versions of notable sculptural artworks for visually impaired individuals exist in several museums like the Louvre or the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, this is the first time that famous paintings are being presented in a three-dimensional format. Fernando Perez, the organizer of this museum, states: "Our goal is to showcase significant and famous artworks to the general public. Now it has become possible for visually impaired individuals to touch and understand the painting." According to the website "Open Culture," previously some museums provided descriptions of paintings in Braille or audio files for introducing the artwork, but until now, there was no opportunity for close and direct interaction to touch the paintings. Several notable artistic canvases have been created in a raised format using this technology, and even the specific texture of the separating components is distinguishable. This technology is called "Didu." According to the website "3D Project," the three-dimensional design agency "Studio Durro" in Bilbao, Spain, invented this technology that allows individuals to touch the artwork and feel its texture. The report states that for each artwork, nearly 40 hours are required for the Didu technology to execute the dimensions of the painting in a tactile format. After that, an additional 12 hours are needed to complete the work. However, the result is a raised artistic piece. Works by Goya and Velázquez, as well as the iconic Mona Lisa, have been highlighted using this technology. This exhibition will continue in Madrid for the next two months.