Digital non-metric image-based documentation for the preservation and restoration of mural paintings: the case of the Üzümlü Rock-hewn Church, Turkey

[EN] Digital photography is a valuable documentation technique for the preservation of a cultural heritage site because highresolution photography presents both general and detailed views of mural paintings and mural condition in a single image. Advanced digital technology is particularly helpful for preserving and restoring mural paintings given that the painting condition is recorded on high-resolution base maps shows how mural paintings are damaged by environmental stresses, mechanical damages and inappropriate treatments, among others. In addition, photogrammetric software technology is rapidly advancing and being applied to the digital documentation of mural paintings or rock art. Nevertheless, human experience and investigation of mural paintings is indispensable for recording the condition of mural paintings, and this highlights that every step of documentation conducted in situ is desirable. However, images by photogrammetric software do not show sufficient resolution because most normal portable computers used on-site are not usually sufficient. Based on our experience at the Üzümlü Church in Cappadocia, Turkey, we propose a new approach to document mural conditions in situ for preservation and restoration. Our method is based on a comparison of a non-metric but approximate high-resolution image with the actual mural paintings. The method does not require special instruments and enables digital documentation of the mural condition in situ at a low cost, in a short time frame and using minimal human resources.This work was supported by the JSPS KAKENHI Grantin-Aid for young Scientists (B) under Grant Number 24760528; and the JSPS KAKENHI Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas under Grant Number 24101014.Higuchi, R.; Suzuki, T.; Shibata, M.; Taniguchi, Y.; Gülyaz, M. (2016). Digital non-metric image-based documentation for the preservation and restoration of mural paintings: the case of the Üzümlü Rock-hewn Church, Turkey. Virtual Archaeology Review. 7(14):31-42. https://doi.org/10.4995/var.2016.4241SWORD314271

Image Reproduction based on Texture Image Extension with Traced Drawing for Heavy Damaged Mural Painting

AbstractNot only geometric information but also optical information is needed to reproduce ruins using three-dimensional realistic computer graphics as they were when those were founded. In order to give a model a sense of reality, it is common to carry out the texture mapping of the photographed image. However such information can not be acquired from either weathered or partially destroyed ruins. While there are various conventional techniques for image restoration, which can overcome in the case of small missing and cracks, it is difficult to restore such a heavy damaged mural painting well when there is no information from the periphery.In this paper, we propose an image reproduction of a heavy damaged mural painting using a texture information extracted from another mural painting which has actually been restored by conservators and a traced drawing which the specialist guessed and drew. The restored image was used same pigment inks. Based on texture information from the restored image and a segmented traced drawing, we produce a restored image by applying the texture extension to each segment

Assessment of plastics in the National Trust: a case study at Mr Straw's House

The National Trust is a charity that cares for over 300 publically accessible historic buildings and their contents across England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There have been few previous studies on preservation of plastics within National Trust collections, which form a significant part of the more modern collections of objects. This paper describes the design of an assessment system which was successfully trialled at Mr Straws House, a National Trust property in Worksop, UK. This system can now be used for future plastic surveys at other National Trust properties. In addition, the survey gave valuable information about the state of the collection, demonstrating that the plastics that are deteriorating are those that are known to be vulnerable, namely cellulose nitrate/acetate, PVC and rubber. Verifying this knowledge of the most vulnerable plastics enables us to recommend to properties across National Trust that these types should be seen as a priority for correct storage and in-depth recording

An annotation tool for digital restoration of wall paintings

Antique paintings are essential to study and understand our past. Paintings, and specifically mural paintings, are delicate artworks that are affected by multiple deterioration conditions. Weathering and human interventions cause different damage problems, and physical and chemical changes degrade their visual color appearance. As a consequence, art historians and archaeologists require a huge effort to attempt to rebuild their original appearance. The annotation of digital images of the paintings is a valuable tool in this process. In this paper we analyze major requirements from art historians concerning the annotation of painting regions from the point of view of digital restoration. We also describe a tool prototype (based on TagLab) intended to facilitate the annotation and segmentation of mural paintings. The tool assists art historians in formulating multiple hypotheses on the original appearance by supporting multiple annotation layers for degradation and color, providing both hand-drawn and semi-automatic segmentation, and offering web-based dissemination and sharing of the annotations through the W3C Web Annotation Data Model.This work has been partially supported by the projects TIN2017-88515-C2-1-R/-2-R funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033/ FEDER “A way to make Europe”,by the EUHorizon 2020, JPICH Conservation, Protection and Use initiative (JPICH-0127) and the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Invesigación (grant PCI2020-111979).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Neural Networks for Hyperspectral Imaging of Historical Paintings: A Practical Review

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) has become widely used in cultural heritage (CH). This very efficient method for artwork analysis is connected with the generation of large amounts of spectral data. The effective processing of such heavy spectral datasets remains an active research area. Along with the firmly established statistical and multivariate analysis methods, neural networks (NNs) represent a promising alternative in the field of CH. Over the last five years, the application of NNs for pigment identification and classification based on HSI datasets has drastically expanded due to the flexibility of the types of data they can process, and their superior ability to extract structures contained in the raw spectral data. This review provides an exhaustive analysis of the literature related to NNs applied for HSI data in the CH field. We outline the existing data processing workflows and propose a comprehensive comparison of the applications and limitations of the various input dataset preparation methods and NN architectures. By leveraging NN strategies in CH, the paper contributes to a wider and more systematic application of this novel data analysis method

Automated digital color restitution of mural paintings using minimal art historian input

Digital color restitution aims to digitally restore the original colors of a painting. Existing image editing applications can be used for this purpose, but they require a select-and-edit workflow and thus they do not scale well to large collections of paintings or different regions of the same painting. To address this issue, we propose an automated workflow that requires only a few representative source colors and associated target colors as input from art historians. The system then creates a control grid to model a deformation of the CIELAB color space. Such deformation can be applied to arbitrary images of the same painting. The proposed approach is suitable for restituting the color of images from a large photographic campaign, as well as for the textures of 3D reconstructions of a monument. We demonstrate the benefits of our method on a collection of mural paintings from a medieval monument.This work has been partially supported by projects PID2021-122136OB-C21 and PID2021-122136OB-C22 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033 and by ERDF A way of making Europe, by the EU Horizon 2020, JPICH Conservation, Protection and Use initiative (JPICH-0127) and the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigación (grant PCI2020-111979).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Reconstrucción digital no métrica de mosaicos romanos excavados en la ciudad de Rávena (Italia)

[EN] During the excavations carried out in summer 2011 in Piazza Anita Garibaldi in Ravenna, during construction of the new underground waste containers, five rooms decorated with mosaic floors were found, probably dating back to the early Roman Empire (1st-2ndcentury AD). The mosaics were removed for restoration and musealisation, however –given the size of the large lacunae-it would not be possible to reintegrate them in a traditional restoration without creating arbitrary reconstructions. Therefore, we opted for a digital reconstruction of the lacunae, attempting virtual restoration hypotheses for the recovered mosaics. Subsequently, it was possible to grasp the trend of the figuration and how it could have appeared in the past. The characteristics of many mosaics, such as the symmetry and the repetition of geometric patterns, make them suitable for both a simulated integration and are construction by the analogies of the pattern. As a matter of fact, we used simple and easily accessible software to perform this work. The purpose of this digital workflow was to give an example of virtual processing useful for conservators and restorers, as well as for scholars (archaeologists, art historians, etc.) that can be carried out without specific information technology expertise and computer skills. After the images were acquired digitally, we were able to proceed with the reconstruction of the floor, by taking into account the geometric motifs that make up the mosaic assembly and that made the recomposition the most reliable. The virtual restoration also provides the opportunity of simulating the type of integration and the colour so that scholars, restorers and conservators may evaluate the final appearance of the work and the different aesthetic choices. The virtual restoration is finally considered an essential tool for the enhancement of cultural heritage.[ES] Durante las excavaciones llevadas a cabo en el verano de 2011 en la Plaza Anita Garibaldi en Rávena para la fabricación de nuevos contenedores soterrados, se encontraron cinco habitaciones decoradas con mosaicos en el piso, que probablemente datan de principios del imperio romano (siglo I-II d. C.). Los mosaicos fueron retirados para la restauración y musealización, sin embargo –dado el tamaño de las lagunas grandes-no sería posible reintegrarlos siguiendo una restauración tradicional sin crear reconstrucciones arbitrarias. Por esta razón, hemos optado por una reconstrucción digital de las lagunas, haciendo algunas hipótesis de restauración virtual delos mosaicos recuperados. De esta manera, es posible figurar cómo podría haber sido en el pasado. Las características de muchos mosaicos, como son la simetría y la repetición de los patrones geométricos, los hacen adecuados tanto para una integración simulada como para la reconstrucción por analogía del patrón geométrico. De hecho, utilizamos software muy simple para realizar este trabajo, ya que nuestro propósito era dar un ejemplo de procesamiento virtual útil para conservadores y restauradores, así como para académicos (arqueólogos, historiadores del arte, etc.) que puede llevarse a cabo sin conocimientos específicos ni conocimientos informáticos. Una vez adquiridas las imágenes en formato digital, pudimos proceder a la reconstrucción real del piso, teniendo en cuenta los motivos geométricos que conforman el ensamblaje del mosaico y que hicieron la recomposición más fiable. La restauración virtual también brinda la oportunidad de simular en la imagen digital el tipo de integración y el color para que los estudiosos puedan evaluar la apariencia final del trabajo y las diferentes elecciones estéticas. La restauración virtual se considera finalmente una herramienta esencial para la mejora del patrimonio cultural.We are grateful to the Editor-in-Chief Prof. José Luis Lerma for useful suggestions. Pictures of the excavations were taken by RavennAntica Foundation and Superintendence for Archaeological Heritage of Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Virtual restorationswere carried out by Mariapaola Monti.Monti, M.; Maino, G. (2018). Non-metric digital reconstruction of Roman mosaics excavated in the city of Ravenna (Italy). Virtual Archaeology Review. 9(19):66-75. doi:10.4995/var.2018.7227SWORD6675919Bennardi, D., &Furferi, R. (2007). Il restauro virtuale. Tra ideologia e metodologia. Florence: Edifir.Biagi Maino, D., &Maino, G. (2017). Principi e Applicazioni del Restauro Virtuale. Florence: Edifir.Bignami, S., Carnoli, S., &Racagni, P. (2000). Il mosaico ravennate: cronistoria dalle origini ai giorni nostri. Ravenna: Associazione Giuliano Argentario.Bortolotti, I. (2006). Grafica al computer per il restauratore. Padova: Il Prato.Brandi, C. (1963). Teoria del restauro. Roma: Edizioni di Storia e Letteratura.Casagrande, F., Rivola, R., Castagnetti, C., & Bertacchini, E. (2016). Scansione e stampa 3D di un calco musivo policromo. In V. Perzolla, & A. Colombo (Eds.), Le Tecnologie Digitali al servizio della conservazione: Dall'integrazione scultorea al restauro virtuale (pp. 43-55, 65-66). Padova: Il Prato e-book.Casagrande, F., Maino, G., & Monti, M. (2016).3D rendering and virtual restoration of mosaics. In M. B. Panov (Ed.), Byzantium and the Heritage of Europe: Connecting the Cultures, Proceedings of 3rd International Symposium Days of Justinian I (pp.111-121). Skopje: Euro-Balkan University.Degrigny, C., Piqué, F., Papiashvili, N., Guery, J., Mansouri, A., Le Goïc, G., Detalle, V.,Martos-Levif, D., Mounier, A., Wefers, S., Tedeschi, C., Cucchi, M., Vallet, J., Pamart, A., & Pinette, M. (2016). Technical study of Germolles' wall paintings: the input of imaging techniques. Virtual Archaeology Review, 7(15), 1-8.doi:10.4995/var.2016.5831Fiori, C., &Vandini, M. (2002). Teoria e tecniche per la conservazione del mosaico. Padova: Il PratoGonzalez, R.C., &Woods, R.E. (1993). Digital Image Processing. New York: Addison-Wesley.Higuchi, R., Suzuki, T., Shibata, M., Taniguchi, Y., & Galyaz, M. (2016). Digital non-metric image-based documentation for the preservation and restoration of mural paintings: the case of the Ozomlo Rock-Hewn church, Turkey. Virtual Archaeology Review, 7(14), 31-42.doi:10.4995/var.2016.4241Maino, G., &Visparelli, D. (2003). Il museo virtuale dei mosaici. In Atti del Convegno Contesti virtuali e fruizione dei beni culturali, Naples, May 22-23,2003 (pp.1-6). Naples, Italy.Maino, G., Orlandi, M., & Malkowski, G. (2005). Documentare i mosaici tramite GIS.In La tecnologia al servizio dei beni culturali. Nuovi sistemi di catalogazione, visualizzazione e salvaguardia (pp.17-19).Rome: ENEA Technical Report.Maino, G. (2007).Digitization and multispectral analysis of historical books and archival documents: Two exemplary cases. In 14th International Conference on Image Analysis and Processing-Workshop (ICIAPW 2007), vol.II, (pp.119-124).doi:10.1109/ICIAPW.2007.23Maino, G., &Massari, S. (2010).Digitization and multispectral analysis of artistic objects: exemplary cases and web documentation. In Science for Cultural Heritage (pp.164-171).Singapore: World Scientific.doi:10.1142/9789814307079_0014Maino, G. (2015).The mosaics of Macedonia: conservation and restoration issues. In L. Kniffitz, & E. Carbonara (Eds.), Ravenna Musiva. Preservation and restoration of architectural decoration, mosaics and frescoes (pp.316-331, plates 44-47).Maino, G., &Monti, M. (2015). Color Management and Virtual Restoration of Artworks. In E. Celebi, M.Lecca, &B. Smolka (Eds.), Color Image and Video Enhancement (pp.183-231).Cham: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-09363-5_7Menghi, R., Monti, M., &Maino, G. (2012).Principles of virtual restoration and application to artistic and archaeological objects. In G. Vezzalini, & P. Zannini (Eds.), Proceedings of A.I.Ar. 2012 Modena -VII Congresso nazionale di Archeometria (pp. 618-631).Bologna: Patron.Monti, M., &Maino, G. (2011).Image processing and a virtual restoration hypothesis for mosaics and their cartoons. In G. Maino, & G. L. Foresti (Eds.), Image Analysis and Processing -ICIAP 2011.Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 6979, 486-495. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-24088-1_50Nencini, E., & Maino, G. (2011).From the physical restoration for preserving to the virtual restoration for enhancing. In G. Maino, & G. L. Foresti (Eds.), Image Analysis and Processing -ICIAP 2011.Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 6978, 700-709. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-24085-0_71Rivola, R., Castagnetti, C., Bertacchini, E., &Casagrande, F. (2016). Le tecniche geomatiche a supporto dei Beni Culturali.Archeomatica,1,34-37

Moral Rights: The Economic Ramifications of Moral Rights Under VARA in the U.S.

When balancing the interests of the art market gatekeepers including patrons, dealers, and auction house intermediaries, with the interest of artists, artists have always bared the shorter end of the stick. It has been almost 30 years since the U.S. legal system acknowledged moral rights and a lifetime that artist have had to defend those rights. However, the question remains— how has the art market balanced these conflicting interests and at what expense? This paper will explore the effects moral rights have on an artist’s market and with that, the overall art market. This paper will also cover the ramifications following subsequent disavowal of works deemed prejudicial to the artist’s reputation while exploring the life of a work after it has been removed from art market circulation. The Visual Artist Rights Act (VARA), will be applied in this paper and likened to the doctrine of laches, that is, it will be investigated in terms of artists who are vigilant on exercising their moral rights under VARA in the U.S. and artists who slumber on those rights. This dynamic will be juxtaposed with occurrences that predate VARA to highlight the ramifications of protecting moral rights and the consequences of its absence

Environmental Art: A Study of Psychology and Activism

Environmental art can reinterpret natural processes, generate awareness about environmental problems, restore damaged ecosystems, and convey the power and beauty of nature and wildlife. The purpose of this project is to investigate the symbolism of color in environmental art and photography and its relationship to human psychology. To survey the field of environmental art, I visited galleries and interviewed artists in the field, with the purpose of analyzing 50 significant pieces of art that represent a variety of genres, colors, and cultural heritages. The final project will analyze the future potential of art as a tool for social change and lead to the creation of a digital platform at Penn to showcase interdisciplinary student projects