HOW DOES A COMPUTER BECOME REMBRANDT?

A computer spent 1.5 years learning the techniques of Rembrandt. In the end it was able to produce a new image that looks like an original. Below are the five steps to a generated masterpiece:

DATA SCAN

Each of Rembrandt’s works is scanned three-dimensionally. In this way a total of 150 gigabytes of data are collected.

DIVISION

The software then partitions all the scanned images into more than 60 different areas, like ears, eyes, etc.

ANALYSIS

By comparing the data the computer “learns” how Rembrandt paints noses, for example, and this gives rise to algorithms.

CREATION

Mouth, forehead, clothing— each individual feature is “invented” by the computer in a 500-hour process.

PRINT

A 3-D printer brings 148 million pixels to life by depositing 13 pigment layers onto a pad. (See the image at top right.) The finished product is like oil on canvas.