Historical Artworks Research Articles

A practical workflow for the 3D reconstruction of complex historic sites and their decorative interiors: Florence As It Was and the church of Orsanmichele

The Digital Humanities project Florence As It Was (http://florenceasitwas.wlu.edu) seeks to reconstruct the architectural and decorative appearance of late Medieval and early Modern buildings by combining 3D point cloud models of buildings (i.e. extant structures such as chapels, churches, etc.) with 3D rendered models of artworks that were installed inside them during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. This paper documents a novel bifurcated workflow that allows the construction of such integrated 3D models as well as an example case study of a church in Florence, Italy called Orsanmichele (https://3d.wlu.edu/v21/pages/orsanmichele2.html). The key steps worked out in the optimized workflow include: (1) art historical research to identify the original artworks in each building, (2) the use of LiDAR scanners to obtain 3D data (along with associated color information) of the interiors and exteriors of buildings, (3) the use of high resolution photogrammetry of works of art (i.e. paintings and sculptures) which have been removed from those buildings and are now in public collections, (4) the generation of point clouds from the 3D data of the buildings and works of art, (5) the editing and cojoining of a textured polygon model of artworks with a reduced size (using novel algorithms) point cloud model of the buildings in an open-source software tool called Potree so that artworks can be embedded in their original architectural settings, and (6) the annotation of these models with scholarly art historical texts that present viewers immediate access to information, archival evidence, and historical descriptions of these spaces. The integrated point cloud and textured models of buildings and artworks, respectively, plus annotations are then published with Potree. This process has resulted in the development of highly accurate virtual reconstructions of key monuments from the Florentine Middle Ages and Renaissance (like the fourteenth century building of Orsanmichele and the multiple paintings that were once inside it) as they originally appeared. The goal of this project is to create virtual models for scholars and students to explore research questions while providing key information that may assist in generating new projects. Such models represent a significant tool to allow improved teaching of art and architectural history. Furthermore, since the assigned location of some of the historic artworks within these sites are not always firmly known, the virtual model allows users to experiment with potential arrangements of objects in and on the buildings they may have originally decorated.

Inheritance and Development of Jingchu Dancer Patterns

in the development of ancient Chinese culture and art, the state of Chu occupies a position that cannot be ignored. In its splendid cultural and historical process, many magnificent and fantastic works of art have emerged, which are closely related to the life experience and aesthetic thoughts of this country and nation. Inseparable, the aesthetic tastes and preferences of the Chu people were partly inherited from the historical and cultural customs of their predecessors, which further influenced the artistic development of later generations. This paper analyzes the modeling characteristics and cultural connotation of the dancer's animal brocade in Chu State. On this basis, it further summarizes and studies the development and artistic characteristics of the dancer's decorative patterns in different historical periods.

Isosorbide, pyrogallol, and limonene-containing thiol-ene photocured bio-based organogels for the cleaning of artworks

The development of bio-based gels for the cleaning of historical artworks is an attractive area of research. In this work, we designed thiol-ene photocured organogels by combining five different thiol or allyl functionalized bio-based monomers. Isosorbide, pyrogallol, and limonene were used as the bio-based building blocks for derivatization. The chemical structures of the synthesized monomers were characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The organogel structures were examined by FTIR analysis. Thermal and thermomechanical properties of the gels were determined by thermogravimetric analyses (TGA) and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), respectively. The swelling behavior of the organogels in various solvents was also investigated. Gels swelled most in dimethyl carbonate (DMC). The confinement of the solvents in the gels decreased their evaporation rate. The organogels displayed a two-stage degradation profile and were found to be thermally stable up to ∼200°C. The gels were evaluated for the cleaning of dammar-based varnish from historical artwork. DMC swollen gels were found to be effective in removing the varnish from the surface of the artwork. None of the prepared gels adhered to the surface layer of the paintings. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images proved that the surfaces were cleaned without leaving any gel residue.

Dual-polarity MALDI mass spectrometry and imaging of oil binders and fatty acids in artworks using cyanographene as a single matrix.

Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI MS) and imaging mass spectrometry (IMS) are being increasingly recognized for the detection and visualization of various organic species including lipids and fatty acids. Nevertheless, most MALDI matrices perform optimally in one ionization mode. This study investigates the performance of cyano derivative of graphene (G-CN) as a matrix in two polarities of MALDI MS and IMS for the detection of oil binders and fatty acids in artworks, and compares it with classical MALDI matrices (2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 9-aminoacridine). Results revealed the ability of G-CN to provide high quality positive and negative mass spectra of oils and fatty acids, respectively, with lowest matrix-induced interferences among tested matrices and minimal effects of the presence of inorganic pigments. The newly developed approach makes both oil and fatty acid identifiable in a single spot simply by covering the sample surface with one matrix and switching the polarity in MALDI without any sample manipulation. G-CN offers effective matrix to analyte energy transfer, ability to detect components in less than 100ng of oil at a MALDI spot and lesser analyte fragmentation than the compared conventional matrices. Furthermore, it enables direct mapping of specific m/z features corresponding to triacylglycerol (TAG), products of TAG oxidation and deprotonated acids using one nanoparticle matrix in MALDI IMS. This research shows potential for technical innovations in the study of art micro-environments and degradation phenomena of historical artworks.

Historical proteinaceous-based pictorial binders’ analysis: a novel proteomic minimally invasive approach

Abstract Operating micro-invasive sampling when dealing with the chemical investigation of precious historical works of art is, without doubts, mandatory. Recently, scientific research in the field of Cultural Heritage has been often devoted to the development of innovative strategies for quasi non-invasive sampling on works of art to extract, for example, proteins and/or lipids composing the pictorial binders gaining extensive awareness about the materials employed by the artist. In this work, we propose a novel minimally invasive method for the sampling and characterization of protein-based painting binders. We apply a hydrophilic gel, previously functionalized with trypsin and chymotrypsin, on the artwork surface to perform an in-situ digestion of proteinaceous binders. Peptides are identified by means of a proteomic bottom-up approach combined with a high resolution/accuracy mass spectrometry technique. A wooden polychrome statue belonging to the XV century was chosen as a sample to assess the proposed protocol on a historical painting layer, as illustrated herein.

Features of literary and historical discourse

The article examines the emergence and study of the concept of discourse in modern science. The authors of the article propose their own approach to the phenomenon of artistic discourse. The relevance and significance of the study of literary discourse and historical discourse are aroused. The levels that distinguish artistic discourse and historical discourse from other humanitarian discourses are considered, and the main criteria in the artistic text are analyzed. The researcher emphasized that historical discourse is transmitted through the perception of a historian or writer, the influence of the category of time on events in it, and studied the specific features of the literary and historical discourse. It is emphasized that historical discourse is not a whole continuum, but its texts can be divided into several typological groups in the classification. The article is guided by the works of such scientists as R. Bart, A.V. Lubsky, A.P. Minyar-Belorucheva, A.S. Adilova. In historical works of art, it is stated that the preservation of historical value is an important factor and requires careful study.

기계와 예술사이 : 컴퓨터비전, 인공지능 그리고 이미지의 문제

This paper is a critical examination of the relationship between artificial intelligence, computer vision, and images. The IT industry has been building up massive repositories of image data to be used for machine learning and computer vision. Although the term computer “vision” suggests it assimilates human vision, they differ fundamentally because computer vision is an algorithmic process. While the collection of image datasets is crucial for enhancement of AI’s creative capability, the risk of uncontrolled mass collection of image data and their prejudicial or discriminatory use for machine learning has become highly problematic. Often in AI art, images are artificially generated by Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) that are trained with images of historic artworks. As computer vision differs from human vision, AI-generated artistic images cannot be evaluated using conventional criteria. The formulation of new criteria would be essential if the new AI art were to be accepted into the creative art at large.

The ‘Meidum geese’ revisited: Early historical art is not a suitable basis for taxonomic speculation

Romilio (2021) used a taxonomic scoring system to compare differences between three species of geese (Anseriformes) depicted in the Chapel of Itet, one of which he speculated might represent an undescribed (presumably now extinct) species. Despite some apparently distinctive features, the depiction has traditionally been associated with the well-known modern species, red-breasted goose (Branta ruficollis). We discuss limitations in applying the Tobias et al. (2010) scoring system to cases such as this, for which it was not designed, and we outline the many pitfalls that must be considered when attempting to identify historical artwork of birds using examples discussed recently in the ornithological literature. We conclude that the illustrations proposed by Romilio to represent a new Branta goose species are within the range of known plumage variation and potential artistic licence for red-breasted goose, and that this very probably is the species upon which the artwork was based. More generally, we caution against applying the Tobias criteria to cases where a series of specimens cannot be measured, and highlight the difficulties of using illustrations to inform taxonomy.

Origin of indigo colorants revealed by ion mobility spectrometry coupled to mass spectrometry followed by supervised classification

Identification of colorants is a key theme in art history and restoration. Indigo, the famous blue dye and pigment, was historically produced from four biological sources cultivated in specific parts of the world: woad in Europe, true indigo in Indian region, anil in South and Central America, and Japanese indigo in Eastern Asia. Therefore, identification of the biological source of indigo could reveal the provenance of pigments and dyes used in historical artworks, assist evaluation of their age, and help to trace ancient trade routes. To date, none of the previous reports achieved confident identification of indigo sources. This is the first systematic comprehensive untargeted workflow for discrimination of indigo colorants from different biological sources. Besides the new analytical procedure based on flow injection analysis and high-resolution mass spectrometry coupled to ion mobility spectrometry, the original multi-method screening scheme for feature selection, classification model training, and validation is presented. Reference indigo pigments were analyzed neat or embedded into appropriate binders to simulate oil painting or egg tempera mural. Combinations of eight feature selection methods (information gain, information gain ratio, Gini decrease, ANOVA, Chi squared, ReliefF, fast correlation based filter, and significance analysis of microarrays) and five classification algorithms (k-nearest neighbors, support-vector machines, random forest, neural network, and naïve Bayes) were evaluated via double (nested) cross-validation. The best performance was achieved with random forest across all feature selection methods (average classification accuracy 94%, negative ionization mode data). Tentative substance classes were proposed for the most important features based on their mass fragmentation patterns. A methylated flavonoid (diosmetin) and an indole alkaloid (2,2′-biindolyl) were identified in woad and true indigo pigments, respectively, and confirmed by chromatography. Plant sources of colorants were determined in historical samples of oil paintings and textiles.

A deep neural network based framework for restoring the damaged persian pottery via digital inpainting

Conservation of the historical artworks involves carefully planning interventions to prolong the material, historical, and design integrity of humanity's-built heritage. Among which, restoration of the destroyed parts of the artworks via inpainting is one of the most critical stages in the restorative conservation.Indeed, one of the significant assets of any art-historical work is its aesthetic aspects. However, usually due to the visual complexity and the diversity of the motifs, the number of patterns that a restorer artist can have in mind when repairing them, are limited. Also, the inpainting process of such artworks might be very slow and prone to errors; a slight error can cause severe mistakes for the aesthetic aspects of the artifact. Therefore, the need to develop an intelligent system to provide an image of the refurbished artifact before to the restoration operation, is undeniable. Motivated by the idea that the computer-vision-based image inpainting process could be an efficient solution for this purpose, in this paper, for the first time, we propose a framework that employs a deep artificial neural network-based approach to inpaint the images of Persian pottery for restoring their damaged parts. The framework can repair irregular structures that usually exist in Persian pottery and inpaints relatively large missing parts. Besides, the restored parts were seamlessly integrated with the rest of the image without the need for any further postprocessing. To evaluate the proposed framework, we have collected 677 images from different Kubachi ware (known as Persian pottery) to study the inpainting results. The provided dataset is available free for the research community. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations of the results show that the proposed framework performs well, where the inpainted parts are visually and semantically plausible, and the details of the predicted colors in the damaged areas are very satisfying.

Fukuda-Style Image Tiling.

The authors are inspired by the process of revisiting historical artwork and extracting design ideas that inspire creative collaboration and exploration of new visual design media. This article provides an instructional case study in facilitating such creative expansion. Shigeo Fukuda's (1932–2009) Mona Lisa's Hundred Smiles decomposes the original Mona Lisa into regions of two contrasting colors, creating the illusion of a blocky grayscale image. We do not know how Fukuda created his image. It originated in 1970, and we hence assume it was done manually. A half a century later, computing provides new possibilities to recreate, modify, and extend this technique without having to resort to painful, manual work. This motivated us to explore the visual space that Fukuda opened with his work. The authors revisit his work and describe how to create this effect with various extensions and creative applications.

American Pediatric Surgical Association Presidential Address 2021 A Surgeon's Purpose

Through an examination of literature and art history over the past several centuries, we can better understand what it is to be a physician and meet the needs of our patients by recognizing suffering and creating hope. Literature and historical works of art are rich in the description of children and families confronting disease and through close examination of both types of media, we can better empathize and understand our patients and families when confronted by illness.

The Icon Last Supper of the Iconostasis of the Russian Memorial Church in Leipzig: Technological Investigation as Basis for the Modelling and the Numerical Simulation of Historical Works of Art

ABSTRACT In this work, the results of a detailed art technological investigation of the icon Last Supper from the Russian Memorial Church in Leipzig (Germany) are presented. The icons of the iconostasis of the church were made in the workshop of N.S. Emelyanov in Moscow in 1912. The investigation showed that the painter in principle technologically adhered to the traditional way of making icons. The panel is made of boards of lime wood with two crossbars on the reverse. The paint was applied to a chalk ground over a textile layer. The traditional iconographer’s palette was expanded by a few contemporary pigments. The binding agent is classic egg tempera. Originally, the layers of paint had an oil varnish (olifa). The main aim of the project VirtEx, introduced in this paper, is to expand existing methods with numerical material and structural models to be able to predict quantitatively the behaviour of wooden artefacts under loads due to climate changes as well as mechanical loads. The detailed art technological investigation provides the required data for the computer models. The numerical data can then be validated with technologically exact copies and replicas. In the introduction to the article, the current state of research on icon painting techniques is also outlined.

From the Guest Editor: The Legacy of Poe’s Graphicality in the Expanded Field

From the Guest Editor: The Legacy of Poe’s Graphicality in the Expanded Field

From the Guest Editor

From the Guest Editor

Crisis narrative and the paradox of erasure: Making room for dialectic tension in a cancel culture

This study analyzed a crisis situation that a university faced when an historical artwork considered to be racially progressive when it was created nearly 70 years ago has been deemed racist in contemporary times. The university attempted to address criticisms by providing context to the artwork, explaining its creation and history as well as by creating companion artwork to lessen its offensiveness, but none of those attempts assuaged critics. We view the case through the lenses of narrative theory, dialectical tensions, and the paradox of erasure while recognizing the challenges organizations face navigating the limited space for competing narratives in a “cancel culture.” We add to and codify a typology of erasure in public relations and offer recommendations for universities dealing with crises that have competing interpretations of highly charged, socio-political issues, such as those stemming from racial injustice, at their center.

On the Popcultural Life of Historical Works of Art in Humorous Advertising

The paramount objective of this paper is to discuss the popcultural life of historical works of art in selected humorous ads. Firstly, the workings of the incongruityresolution theory of humour and script opposition are presented. Then, the author proceeds to the topic of popculturing visual art in ads. Finally, attention is paid to specific instances of popculturing and funification in several art-related multimodal ads, which makes it possible to see the mechanisms of humour elicitation resultant from the ongoing displacement of historical works of art and their transference into the pop-cultural and advertising realms. To this end, the author gathered a collection of ads in English in which visual art is used in order to introduce humour.

Image-based metric heritage modeling in the near-infrared spectrum

Digital photogrammetry and spectral imaging are widely used in heritage sciences towards the comprehensive recording, understanding, and protection of historical artifacts and artworks. The availability of consumer-grade modified cameras for spectral acquisition, as an alternative to expensive multispectral sensors and multi-sensor apparatuses, along with semi-automatic software implementations of Structure-from-Motion (SfM) and Multiple-View-Stereo (MVS) algorithms, has made more feasible than ever the combination of those techniques. In the research presented here, the authors assess image-based modeling from near-infrared (NIR) imagery acquired with modified consumer-grade cameras, with applications on tangible heritage. Three-dimensional (3D) meshes, textured with the non-visible data, are produced and evaluated. Specifically, metric evaluations are conducted through extensive comparisons with models produced with image-based modeling from visible (VIS) imagery and with structured light scanning, to check the accuracy of results. Furthermore, the authors observe and discuss, how the implemented NIR modeling approach, affects the surface of the reconstructed models, and may counteract specific problems which arise from lighting conditions during VIS acquisition. The radiometric properties of the produced results are evaluated, in comparison to the respective results in the visible spectrum, on the capacity to enhance observation towards the characterization of the surface and under-surface state of preservation, and consequently, to support conservation interventions.

Renaissance Humanist Reinterpretations of Eve; The Writings of Christine De Pizan and Isotta Nogarolla

The purpose of my research is to explore the ways that intellectuals reinterpreted Eve using the Humanistic method during the Renaissance, questioning the naturalized relationship between women and sin. Humanism, a growing movement during the 15th century, placed emphasis on ascertaining meaning through analyzing works for their intended meaning and considering the context, while also revering God and antiquity alongside attention to the individual. Christine De Pizan and Isotta Nogarola use the Humanistic method of analysis in different ways to argue that Eve, and womankind, do not deserve a devious reputation and it is not justified by God. I will use historical artworks and writings to show how Eve was depicted prior to and during Renaissance Humanism. For example, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel depiction of the Fall fundamentally differs from other previous works by redistributing the culpability of Adam and Eve; no longer is Eve a sensual being, nor entirely to blame for the Fall. Additionally, as is necessary with any historical analysis, I will examine the contextual factors that allowed for the reinterpretation of Eve, especially by women, including the ways that both were a product and yet also ahead of their time. Whether the reinterpretations are pro-feminine or not is irrelevant in many respects, for the significance stems from women taking back a piece of historiography of the prototype woman, Eve.

Review: Photo Revolution: Andy Warhol to Cindy Sherman

Book Review| March 01 2020 Review: Photo Revolution: Andy Warhol to Cindy Sherman Photo Revolution: Andy Warhol to Cindy Sherman: Worcester Art Museum. Worcester, MA: November 6, 2019–February 16, 2020. James Cunning Holland James Cunning Holland James Cunning Holland, a visual artist and writer, teaches digital and performance art at Eastern Connecticut State University. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar Afterimage (2020) 47 (1): 78–85. https://doi.org/10.1525/aft.2020.471014 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation James Cunning Holland; Review: Photo Revolution: Andy Warhol to Cindy Sherman. Afterimage 1 March 2020; 47 (1): 78–85. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/aft.2020.471014 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAfterimage Search Worcester Art Museum's recent exhibition Photo Revolution: Andy Warhol to Cindy Sherman allowed viewers to revisit the technological and aesthetic transformations, and the cultural tumult, of the 1960s through the 1980s. In addition to functioning as a conventional exhibition of historical works of art that are sequentially ordered, each accompanied by didactic text, discrete works in Photo Revolution blended together in a visual conversation that was greater than the sum of its parts. Chiefly comprised of artworks drawn from the museum's permanent collection, Photo Revolution aimed to give viewers a direct experience of, in the words of the show's curator Nancy Kathryn Burns, “what it would look like to holistically integrate photography's ascent into the broader themes and trends” of mid-twentieth-century art.1 It turns out that photography provides a perfect foundation for discussing the artistic and cultural vicissitudes of the 1960s, '70s, and '80s. Toward the beginning of this... You do not currently have access to this content.