ArtStories, from the Minneapolis Institute of Art (MIA), combines vivid images with cogent descriptions to create a fulfilling online museum experience. Readers may scroll sideways across the various images to see what's on offer (selecting Explore more ArtStories expands the display). To enlarge an image, simply click to reveal an up-close image and a sidebar with epigrammatic and entertaining prose, such as this description of a piece of Red-and-blue-laced Armor from the Kii Tokugawa Family: "This Japanese armor was probably never worn in battle. Too bad- it was frightening and frighteningly well-built. The suit includes a helmet, face-mask, shoulder guards, cuirass (breast plate and back plate), forearm sleeves, thigh guards, shin guards, and bear-fur boots." Other pieces on view include a painting by Van Gogh, a Roman sculpture of the ideal male body, and a Chuck Close photo-like portrait painting.
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