The Arts & Culture app developed by Google made its debut on the Play Store in mid-2016. Millions of users around the world have downloaded a copy to explore a wide range of artworks from different angles, but its latest update includes a very special feature: the search for "doubles" in paintings and murals. All that is needed is a selfie, and that already gives us an idea about what the Web's reaction was...
Whenever someone finds a painting or portrait with a face similar to their own, one of the first things they do is share the coincidence on social media. These similarities have also served as raw material for various memes, including one of Keanu Reeves comparing him to an old portrait from 1875 (Immortal? Time traveler? Nobody knows.) That said, what could happen when a mobile app available on the two most widely used platforms in the world takes on that twin search automatically, requiring just a simple selfie?
The app in question is Arts & Culture, an extension of the site with the same name maintained by Google. Its original release dates back to 2016, so the new feature is the product of a recent update. For now, the search for "artistic twins" is limited to the United States, but we imagine Mountain View will eventually release access very soon. Naturally, the app requires permission to use the camera, and once the selfie is taken, it will present the closest "hits".
A remote comparison carried out by an algorithm might seem like a small thing compared to virtual reality guides, personal collections, searches by time and color, art identification, and locating nearby museums, but if Google's plan was to boost the popularity of its Arts & Culture app, I think it is achieving its goal. Even singers and actors have joined the frenzy of artistic twins.
