AI has just revealed a detail that will shake up everything we thought we knew about Raphael’s famous painting Madonna della Rosa. Explanations.
Raphaël Sanzio from Urbinothe undisputed master of the Italian Renaissance, needs no introduction, I hope. His works are synonymous with grace and balance. This goes without saying knowing that they continue to fascinate centuries after their creation.
Among them are the Madonna of the Roseexhibited at the Prado National Museum in Madrid. It is a jewel celebrating the Virgin Mary surrounded by Saint Joseph and the recognized Saint John.
Let’s get back to what interests you: the long-ignored detail in painting
I must first tell you that the face of Saint Josephpainted in the upper left corner of the painting, has been the subject of controversy since the 1800s. The authenticity of The Madonna of the Rose as the exclusive work of Raphael is called into question.
Today, however, an in-depth analysis has allowed experts to deduce that the face was indeed painted by another artist. To put it simply, researchers have developed a tailor-made algorithm to compare the details of the painting with those of Raphael’s authenticated works.
« We analyzed the characteristics of Raphael’s authenticated paintings in detail to train the computer to accurately recognize his style, from brushstrokes to color palette and shadow play. “, explain Hassan Ugailmathematician and computer science expert at the University of Bradford.
During the study, the team particularly focused on the faces in the painting. Result: those of the Virgin, the Child and Saint John clearly reflect Raphael’s style. That of Saint Joseph, on the other hand, stands out by its stylistic inconsistency.
« By studying each part individually, we confirmed that the majority of the painting corresponded to Raphael’s hand, however, the face of Saint Joseph appeared to have been done by another person. »
But then, who is this other artist? Historical clues suggest that Giulio Romano, one of Raphael’s most gifted students, would have participated in the creation of the painting.
That said, this is nothing more than a hypothesis. And then, although theAI analysis supports this supposition, it does not allow us to identify with certainty the artist who painted this detail.
It’s intriguing what AI can do these days
Indeed, AI never ceases to surprise. In fact, the analysis of these researchers was based on the framework ResNet50 from Microsoft and has been perfected by an advanced machine learning technique.
This allowed them to detect minute differences, invisible to the human eye. As Ugail confidently said: “ The computer sees what the human eye cannot see, down to the microscopic level. »
Moreover, this technology has already proven its effectiveness in identifying works of art with 98% accuracy.
I admit that, contrary to what one might believe, AI does not replace human expertise. She completes it. With her ability to dissect brushstrokes, shadow play and color palettes with unparalleled precision, she brings a whole new perspective to artistic assessment.
Hassan Ugail explained: “ The goal is not to replace human labor” […] “Authenticating a work means analyzing a lot of things: its origin, its pigments, its condition… »
« But this kind of technology can be a powerful tool to enrich this work. »
And you, are you of the same opinion or do you not trust AI?
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