The neural network was able to finish painting by Rembrandt “Night Watch”
Scientists with the help of artificial intelligence were able after 300 years to restore one of the main works of Rembrandt “Night Watch”. You can see the entire canvas by visiting the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, reports Reuters.
Rembrandt completed The Night Watch in 1642, however later, in 1715, the canvas was cut on all four sides to fit between the two doors of the Amsterdam City Hall. Using an AI-based model, experts were able to add missing scenes and characters to the work of art. To reproduce the original painting, scientists used a copy and a model that can imitate the style of the famous painter as closely as possible.
According to art critics, due to the fact that the work has become complete, its dynamics have changed, as well as the potential perception of the audience. So, if earlier the central figure of the picture was Captain Frans Banninck Kock, now he is shifted from the center. The figure of the drummer has now appeared on the right, and three figures on the left, which it is not possible to thoroughly discern. Experts believe that Rembrandt added them to the composition in order to emphasize the center of the masterpiece.
To restore the painting, the specialists first turned to a copy of the work, after which they adjusted the dimensions and corrected the painting. The program, which the specialists adapted for this task, reproduced Rembrandt's style and color in layers. The restorers do not exclude that in the future it will be possible to create a better version of the painting, since the technologies are constantly being improved.
The Night Watch, as presented at the Rijksmuseum, is imprinted in our collective memory. Thanks to the reconstruction, we can now see that the composition in the form in which it was written by Rembrandt was even more dynamic, said the director of the museum Taco Dibbits.
Earlier it was reported that OpenAI introduced a new artificial intelligence system that is able to draw a picture from a verbal description.
