Navigating across ArtNet Italia

Size conscious graphics.

There have been two priorities in designing the graphics on this site: impact and file size. We feel we have been able to strike a keen balance between the two, and we hope you think so too. Moreover, should your connection be particularly slow, you have the possibility of accessing just the images you need by unchecking the "Auto Load Images" option. The navigation will be carried out following the tools devised for visual impaired people and clicking on just the images you would like to see.
To fully appreciate the artworks shown a 24 bits graphic card or million colors resolution and a bigger than 800x600 screen size is suggested. Yet we have strived to make the visualization on less powerful graphic devices equally enjoyable.

Proxy server use

For further benefit in terms of speed of access you may well wish to set up your browser to use a suitable proxy web server. In simple terms a proxy web server acts as a central point through which all users making use of it access the web. When one of these users accesses a new web page the proxy server will fetch the page and retain a local copy of the page which it can then provide to the same or any other user much quicker. Thus you will only gain a speed benefit if you have a better connection through to the proxy server than to our site.

Support for Vision or Reading Disabled people.

Though the site is obviously aimed at the world of seeing people, we have strived to make the navigation for blind people, using reading devices, interesting enough, while making the navigation for reading-impaired people nearly seamless.

This has been accomplished by means of an extensive and meaningful use of the ALT construct allowing to know where a graphical button or image means and possibly leads to, even without seeing or reading the button.

Clicking Across ...

We tried at making each page self-explaining. Yet we would like to add some tips for a better understanding of some general features of the site:

• Each page has a side-bar allowing users to directly access the main sections of the site and the home page. Just click on each of the them to go to the desired section.
• On each page clicking on the Contact Point graphic brings you to the Contact Point form where you are able to express your opinions and to subscribe to our newsletter.
• The art exhibits present thumb-nails of the shown art-works. Just click on the images to see a full-screen version.

Main Navigation Paths

The ArtNet Italia site may be visited either according to the kind of art of interest, or to what is new, cool, or near.

• The main type of navigation is the thematic one allowing to access the artists of interest according to their artistic media among photography, painting and sculpture and may be undertaken at each page by the higher section of the side-bar.
  
• Artists may also be accessed on a list in which they were inserted according to the time when they joined ArtNet Italia. This is particular useful if you are returning to the site and you would like to check any new addings at a glance.
• You can also start your navigation according to an appreciation report. This takes into account the number of times an artist's works were observed in the previous month and tends to give a quite objective measure of the interest each artist elicits. Obviously quantity is not always quality in Art and you could as well start your navigation from the last artist in the list ... The service is currently active just for the painting category. The page also displays a graph on the situation in previous months.
• If you want to appreciate art-works personally at a real world exhibit you can check artist exposing near your location at our Agenda.
• Finally, if you would like to find some specific word, artist, style, critic or technic, you have the possibility of using our search engine allowing to browse through resulting pages illustrated by some of the belonging images.

Netscape or similar browsers.

Not all browsers are alike! In particular some browsers make use of extensions to the standard HTML specificiations. Where these have not been at odds with the goal of an open standard, or interfer with the value of the site when used with other browsers we have used various Netscape extensions. Thus, for example, all images on this site have had their dimensions tagged to aid browsers that support this feature in setting up the pages quicker.

On the contrary some features of the service, like the image rotation program in the home page, are only appreciable through Netscape or another browser supporting Javascript.

Should you wish to download a copy of Netscape or various other browsers try our list below:

• Netscape: For windows, many unices and macs, is available in the UK from here, and here.
• Mosaic: Also for windows, many unices and macs, also available in the UK from here.
• Lynx: Is the best viewer for unix machines, if you don't have a graphics terminal, and is available in the UK from here, and here.