For centuries, the debate has been ongoing as to whether or not Raphael was indeed the artist behind a Renaissance painting called Madonna della Rosa. But now, researchers have used machine learning to solve the mystery and confirm with near certainty that Raphael was indeed the artist behind this masterpiece.
This revelation has been made possible by a machine learning model developed by Professor Hassan Ugail of the University of Bradford. Rather than relying only on the traditional methods of art historians such as chemical makeup tests, X-ray scans, and provenance investigations, Professor Ugail deployed the power of deep transfer learning applied to the ResNet50 deep neural network.
ResNet50 is a widely used deep neural network in image recognition tasks due to its ability to learn complex patterns in images. Professor Ugail used the pre-trained ResNet50 as a starting point and trained it further on 49 paintings that were confirmed to be by Raphael. As a result, the model became an expert on Raphael’s work, from his particular brushstrokes, choice of colors, and compositions.
When the researchers applied this model to the Madonna della Rosa painting, the results suggested that there was only a 60% likelihood that it was the work of Raphael. But when the model was used to analyze specific areas of the painting, the truth behind its creator emerged. The model concluded that the areas incorporating Mary, Jesus, John the Baptist, and even the suspect rose, had a 90% probability of being painted by Raphael. As suspected, Joseph’s head was likely painted by a different artist, as the model gave it a less than 40% probability of being the work of Raphael.
The research team is thrilled with their results, as this novel approach to attributing artworks opens up a world of possibilities. According to Professor Edwards, co-author of the paper, “The AI program analysis of our work has demonstrated conclusively that whereas the three figures of the Madonna, Christ Child and St John the Baptist are unequivocally painted by Raphael, that of St Joseph is not and has been painted by someone else – possibly by Romano, as believed by zur Capellen and others.”
Co-author Professor Christopher Brooke from the University of Nottingham added, “This is adaptable in that works by other artists may be examined using the same technique, and this is the goal of future research.”
AI is an incredibly powerful tool and while it may not replace art historians, it will be a great help in settling some age-old arguments. Stanford University Adjunct Professor David G. Stork, who also co-authored the paper, said, “Computer methods are slowly but surely proving they can aid traditional humanistic studies of art. But they must always be employed with a deep understanding of art historical context, and their results understood and interpreted in the broader context of art knowledge relevant to the problem at hand.”
We are thrilled to have witnessed the power of AI and machine learning in action! After centuries of debate, the mystery behind Madonna della Rosa has been solved and we are thrilled to have witnessed this incredible breakthrough!
