Computer image studies of Rembrandt self portraits

John F. Asmus

doi:10.1117/12.135989

27 August 1992 Computer image studies of Rembrandt self portraits

John F. Asmus

Proceedings Volume 1666, Human Vision, Visual Processing, and Digital Display III; (1992) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.135989
Event: SPIE/IS&T 1992 Symposium on Electronic Imaging: Science and Technology, 1992, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

There is a great deal of uncertainty and controversy surrounding the artwork legacy of Rembrandt van Rijn. Much of the difficulty stems from the dearth of reliable contemporary documentation covering the artist's activities as well as the great number of students who painted in his studio. Consequently, attributions have rested heavily upon subjective assessments of style and execution, together with whatever historical evidence can be uncovered. The dilemma associated with selecting those works which should be assigned to Rembrandt is complicated further by his fame and the potential for great financial return from the discovery of new pieces. In recent decades this dilemma has been alleviated to a considerable degree by the introduction analytical scientific methods for analyzing (and, in some cases, dating) the materials of an artwork. However, the greatest impact of materials analyses has been to throw out many style-based attributions after finding that the materials were inconsistent with the artist's legacy. Thus, materials analyses typically play a negative role in showing that an attribution is impossible rather than proving that the work in question was by the artist in question. On the other hand a new opportunity is at hand as a consequence of the emergence of digital computer image processing technology. It is now possible to apply this tool to the direct attribution of a painting through analyses of statistical properties pertaining to palette, albedo, and impasta. This paper describes the first efforts at creating a data base on the properties and statistics of Rembrandt portraits so as to provide a basis for determining which should be included in the body of his works, rather than which should be excluded.

Citation Download Citation

John F. Asmus "Computer image studies of Rembrandt self portraits", Proc. SPIE 1666, Human Vision, Visual Processing, and Digital Display III, (27 August 1992); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.135989

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