It is estimated that there are more lost artworks than art in all the world's museums combined. It was very common for artists to paint over their original work, too, because supplies were difficult to obtain for many artists. So, even Picasso and Da Vinci painted over other great works of art. And now, one of them has just been recreated on canvas, thanks to cutting-edge AI technology.
The lost painting is believed to be created by Santiago Rusiñol, a Catalan modernism movement leader. It was hidden beneath Pablo Picasso's The Crouching Beggar (La Miséreuse Accroupie) and revealed by X-radiography 29 years ago. This piece of art has now been recreated by technology company Oxia Palus using various techniques, including a three-dimensional height map that layers paint on canvas exactly as the original artist would have done. It's being dubbed the world's first NeoMaster.
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The neomastic process combines spectroscopic imaging technologies, artificial intelligence, and 3D printing to actualize the pentimento (the visible trace of an earlier painting) of an artwork. It is guided by art conservation science as well as historical art context. In resurrecting this work beneath The Crouching Beggar, many paintings were referenced that define Rusiñol's work style. The depth, thickness, and approximate length of every brushstroke have been re-integrated into an embodiment of what was lost to the ages.
In honor of the 48th anniversary of Picasso's death, 100 editions of this remarkable work will be made available for purchase at the MORF Gallery. Each canvas is protected by patent-pending anti-fraud technology and is accompanied by an NFT (non-fungible token).
"The World's First NeoMaster is ushering an era where thousands of lost masterpieces can now begin to be resurrected," Scott Birnbaum, the CEO of MORF Gallery, told Departures. "Museums will be able to hang a NeoMaster next to the painting where the pentimento was discovered. And savvy collectors will be able to purchase one."
