Whoever first said "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" certainly knew what he (or she) was talking about.

When I go to an art gallery, there is usually a particular painting, photo, or sculpture that is so beautiful that it literally takes my breath away. I have to study it, and think about it, and examine it some more. I marvel at the genius and skill that went into producing the piece. And when I finally walk away I feel emotionally sated, as if my soul had just finished a fine 7 course meal at some fancy-schmancy restaurant. I can leave the gallery then because I don't want to see anything else that day that might ruin my groove.

There are other times when I go to a gallery and I think, "what the...?" What is presented as art is so...um -- ugly is really the only word that applies -- that I walk away in disgust. If I stick to my dining analogy; seeing ugliness that is questionably art is equivalent to eating a can of potted meat with saltines and realizing the saltines are stale.

In both cases what is presented evokes an emotional response from the viewer (that's me) so it must be said that what was presented is art. (That's why paint strategically splattered on a white canvas can sell for thousands of dollars, some people actually like to be disgusted. Go figure.)

Anyway. going to a gallery can be fun, inspirational, and always an adventure, but I don't get to go nearly enough, which is why the Sotheby's Private View podcast has me so excited.

If you're not familiar, Sotheby's is an auction house headquartered in New York. They have a long history as one of the oldest companies in the U.S., they now auction everything from jewelry to real estate and have an annual income of over $3 billion.

Sotheby's Fine Art Auction View

Private View presents art collections that are to be auctioned. What's cool is that the narrators give background and histories of the owners and creators of the pieces shown.

I could be wrong, but I think I detect a certain amount of pretentiousness from the narrators as they discuss Picassos, Monets, Sisleys, and Matisses. It could be part of the job description, I'd likely put on airs too if I worked so closely with such beauty on a daily basis.

If you have an eye for art, or just wish you did, there are at least 20 episodes for you to hone your artistic sensibilities on, so check out Sotheby's Private View, free on iTunes.

Admiring art isn't a pastime for the wealthy, though many gallery proprietors would have you believe otherwise. Art can be created by anyone with talent and viewed and owned by anyone who can appreciate it.

Small galleries and exhibits appear almost anywhere. Finding them can be a problem however. Folks in Northern California are lucky because there's a podcast dedicated to reviewing artists and galleries in that neck of the woods. KQED's Gallery Crawl updates monthly with new video podcasts featuring up and coming or established artists, galleries and exhibits.

Eleanor Hardwood talks about her gallery In Gallery Crawl

I like Gallery Crawl because everyone and everything, including the art, seems approachable. While the show features art and exhibits in California galleries, you come away thinking that you should be able to find similar artwork where you live.

There are about 30 Gallery Crawl podcasts at The iTunes Store, plenty for you to do some virtual gallery crawling yourself.

Rounding out my look at art gallery podcasts is the National Gallery of Art whose podcasts not only looks at art, but how it affects the world and how the world affects it.

Afghanistan's Treasure promoed in the National Gallery of Art

Many of the episodes are not very long, only about 2 minutes or so, and were made as commercials to advertise exhibits while others consist of interviews with various art industry luminaries. The National Gallery of Art podcast examines more than just painting and sculptures, they include music and written word, movies, and other media. Pretty well rounded, I'd say.

There are only 8 podcasts, but all are worth taking a peek, and you can do so for free.

Before I wrap up I'd like to direct your attention to my Just a Peek column, where I review Apple related technology. The latest installment looks at Yahtzee for the iPod, and in up coming articles I'll be reviewing Sims Pool, a pocketable digital picture frame from FOCI, and a TEC gadget jacket from ScottVest. So stay tuned.

OK, that's a wrap.

More free stuff at the iTunes Store, with direct links: