This project is an artistic journey where artificial intelligence transforms the works of renowned painting masters into contemporary photographs.
Jacek Kadaj
The Great Painters and the Lens of Ai
Neurophotography project video announcement:
Utilizing advanced algorithms, AI creates images that capture the style and essence of painters like for example Pablo Picasso, Gustav Klimt, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio and Edgar Degas. These are visual interpretations of 12 selected masterpieces from the Renaissance to the modern era.
This project answers the question: What would the masterpieces of the great artists look like if they had used a camera instead of a brush? These works offer a new, fascinating perspective on classic masterpieces, blending the timeless beauty of classic art with the innovative possibilities of modern technology.
Each of the 12 works created will be a unique reinterpretation, preserving the essence of the original, but presented using 21st century technology. The project aims not only to celebrate the artistic legacy of the old masters, but also to inspire contemporary audiences to look at classic works from a new perspective. Exhibitions of these newly created works will be able to take place in galleries around the world, combining the worlds of art and technology in a unique and inspiring way. ``Paintings of the Masters through the Lens of AI`` is a bridge between the past and the present, taking art into a new era.
example
Comparing Caravaggio’s “Boy Bitten by a Lizard” with the accompanying image in the context of neurophotography offers a fascinating dialogue between classical art and modern technology.
original painting by the Master
Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio ``Boy Bitten by a Lizard`` circa 1593–1594
my neurophotography
My modern interpretation of the image generated with Ai tools
Caravaggio’s painting captures a moment of surprise and pain, where the boy’s facial expression is a vivid representation of shock as he reacts to the lizard’s sudden bite. The dramatic use of chiaroscuro, with deep shadows and intense highlights, heightens the emotional tension of the scene, focusing the viewer’s attention on the boy’s face and the lizard.
In my neurophotography, this classical moment is reinterpreted through the prism of artificial intelligence allegory, a medium that combines traditional photography with advanced digital techniques. Here, the boy’s facial expression is still one of surprise, but the scene has been transformed into a modern setting. The presence of a crystal ball containing a lizard adds a layer of surrealism, suggesting a controlled or predictable outcome rather than the chaotic surprise evident in Caravaggio’s original.
The lighting in neurophotography mimics the effect of chiaroscuro, but with a more contemporary twist, achieved through digital enhancement, creating a scene that feels both familiar and otherworldly. The incorporation of modern elements, such as the camera and transparent, almost reflective surfaces, contrasts sharply with the rustic simplicity of Caravaggio’s era, indicating a shift from organic to synthetic interpretations.
This transformation from classical painting to neurophotography demonstrates how modern technology can reinterpret and expand traditional art, creating new narratives and emotional responses, while paying homage to the original work. The essence of surprise and tension remains, but is now filtered through the prism of 21st century artistic techniques, reflecting both continuity and evolution in artistic expression.