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2/09/2010

Using Statistical Analysis to Deconstruct Art

AUDIO: Listen as Dartmouth College Chairman Daniel Rockmore discusses his new mathematical tool for analyzing artwork, as heard on NPR's Morning Edition.
WASHINGTON — By integrating a passion for the arts with his background in mathematics, Dartmouth College department Chairman Daniel Rockmore has developed a computer program that deconstructs a work of art to determine whether a piece is consistent with a particular artist's style.

Rockmore began his research in 2001, when he met Nadine Orenstein, a curator of prints and drawings at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She was organizing an exhibition featuring Flemish painter Pieter Bruegel the Elder - including pieces both attributed to the artist and others proven not to be. Rockwell used statistical sampling to scan and analyze digital images of the Bruegel works, matching certain characteristics to the artist's technique.

The mathematical tool isn't necessarily meant to identify forgeries, says Rockwell. Rather, it offers a new scientific method of delving into how a piece was created, ultimately deepening our art viewing experience.

[Source: NPR]
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