AI Spots a Secret in a Raphael Painting That Experts Missed

Technology is changing how we look at everything. Even centuries-old art is now under the microscope of artificial intelligence.

What the human eye might miss, computers can now spot. That includes tiny details hidden in brushstrokes or shading, writes WP.

This new way of looking at art has now added a new chapter to the story of one of the world’s most famous painters.

A group of scientists used artificial intelligence to analyze the painting Madonna della Rosa.

It’s a work traditionally believed to have been painted by Raphael around the year 1517 or 1520.

Raphael, whose full name was Raffaello Sanzio, was one of the great Italian Renaissance artists.

He is famous for his graceful depictions of religious figures and scenes, and his paintings are full of harmony and balance.

But the new AI study has changed the way experts look at one part of the painting.

The faces of the Madonna, baby Jesus, and St. John were confirmed to match Raphael’s known style.

But the face of St. Joseph looked different. It did not match the rest. The computer found that the details and technique were not at the same level as the other faces.

For many years, art historians have debated whether Raphael painted the entire piece.

Now, AI has provided fresh evidence to support the idea that someone else painted part of it.

One likely candidate is Giulio Romano, one of Raphael’s students. The style used for St. Joseph’s face seems closer to his than to Raphael’s.

The AI used in the study was trained to understand Raphael’s artistic style by analyzing hundreds of images of his confirmed works.

It looked closely at things like color choices, brushstroke patterns, and light and shadow. These are often hard to detect with the human eye.

The researchers say AI is not a replacement for art experts. But it can be a powerful tool.

It can reveal details people may miss and offer new clues in old mysteries. This is only the beginning of how science and art can work together.