Did the great masters cheat using optics? Computer vision addresses a debate in Renaissance art history

I saw David Stork give yesterday the best talk I’ve ever seen. Here’s the abstract:

In 2001 artist David Hockney and scientist Charles Falco stunned
the art world with a controversial theory that, if correct, would
profoundly alter our view of the development of image making.
They claimed that as early as 1420, Renaissance artists employed
optical devices such as concave mirrors to project images onto their
canvases, which they then traced or painted over. In this way, the
theory attempts to explain the newfound heightened naturalism of
painters such as Jan van Eyck, Robert Campin, Hans Holbein the
Younger, and others. This talk for general audiences, lavishly
illustrated with Renaissance paintings, will present the results of
the first independent examinations of the projection theory. The
analyses rely on sophisticated computer vision and image analysis
algorithms as well as computer graphics reconstructions of
Renaissance studios. While there remain some loose ends, such
rigorous technical analysis of the paintings, infra-red
reflectograms, modern reenactments, internal consistency of the
theory, and alternate explanations allows us to judge with high
confidence the plausibility of this bold theory. You may never
see Renaissance paintings the same way again.

P.S. Commenter John S. points out this fascinating website on the topic. Here’s a summary of Stork’s findings.

5 thoughts on “Did the great masters cheat using optics? Computer vision addresses a debate in Renaissance art history

  1. Doesn't Stork have numerous papers in which he rejects this hypothesis, though? In his lecture, was he still open to the idea that the hypothesis has merit?

  2. Scott,

    Yes, Stork was shooting down the hypothesis. But I had been unfamiliar with his work before seeing the talk, so I appreciated the suspense that arose from the vague abstract.

  3. Anyone seeking papers on my work addressing the claim that artists of the early Renaissance traced optically projected images, and other infomation, can find it here: <a>here

    I'm happy to answer any and all technical questions about the projection theory as well.

    –David Stork

    [email protected]

  4. The question I have to ask is that does this even constitute 'cheating'?

    Many artists today use projectors, light-boxes, the 'grid method' to create accurate portraits. Calling the use of optical devices 'cheating' is like saying Pixar cheats by sculpting characters out of clay and scanning them instead of creating them entirely 'in the computer'.

    The way I see it is that these 'optical devices' are simply technology that aids in the creation of better art…not something 'wrong' or 'bad'.

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