Seeking the Lost Arts of Van Gogh through Reproductions

Researchers at the University College of London have combined X-ray technology; Artificial Intelligence and 3D printing to reproduce a Vincent Van Gogh painting.

The secret painting in question is “The Wrestlers”, an incomplete painting by Van Gogh finally discovered to be painted over with the floral painting: “Still Life with Meadow Flowers and Roses.” The hidden portrait is at the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Netherlands and was revealed in 2012. The original clue comes from a letter Van Gogh sent in 1886 to his brother, Theo: “This week I painted a large thing with two nude torsos — two wrestlers.”

Artist Jesper Eriksson, PhD students Anthony Bourached and George Cann created a method to determine previous artworks with X-ray imaging to analyze layers of paint. As if from a Conan Doyle book, a modern C.I.S. story, or the old trick of lightly rubbing charcoal over a used notepad, past works can be deciphered from past tools. The 3D modeling can only give an approximation of the original production based on the artist’s painting style. Eriksson and Bourached’s Van Gogh recreation is their latest in their ‘NeoMasters’ collection. Since 2019, the researchers have worked to bring lost paintings to life, using a series of algorithms that work by identifying the edges of a given piece, before creating an outline of any figures…