Hokusai @ Sackler + Jakuchū @ NGA

With the National Cherry Blossom Festival in full swing (even though we've already, alas, lost the blossoms!) there is some great related art to be seen in DC.

I really want to see the Hokusai exhibit at the Sackler.

There's also an exhibit on at the National Gallery of Art showcasing Japanese bird and flower paintings by Itō Jakuchū that looks to be lovely.

Google Art Project @ White House & Beyond

"Thanks to Google Art Project, you can visit @White House whenever you like."

First Lady Michelle Obama with U.S. President Barack Obama and their daughters Malia (left) and Sasha (right) at the White House. (Official press photo from the White House website.)

This was tweeted today (April 3, 2012) by First Lady Michelle Obama, who is one of nearly 250 individuals, media outlets, or organizations I presently follow on Twitter. (My Twitter "handle" is @Carstens71)

If you click the tab that says "Featured" in the lower lefthand corner of the Google Art Project website, one of these items invites you to "Explore the White House with the First Lady of the United States of America."

Yet even after signing in with my gmail account password, it was hard to enter this new White House tour on the site - perhaps there was either a temporary glitch or something was wrong with my (likely outdated) PC browser.

Leaving aside my initial confusion at navigating this site, it clearly serves as an excellent online compilation of high-resolution images of artworks located in museums and galleries all over the world, from the Acropolis Museum to the Zimmerli Art Museum at Rutgers University.

In Washington, D.C., for instance, the Smithsonian's Freer and Sackler Galleries have also been included.

New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art and Frick Collection were moreover among the first museums included on the site.

Google Art Project, a real treat for anyone who wishes to view great art online, was launched in 2011.