Slashdot Mirror
Using Computers To Weed Out Art Fakes
jackelfish writes "Reminiscent of handwriting analysis software used in the television series CSI, computers are now being used to evaluate the authenticity of works of art without an expert ever setting eyes on it. The technique identifies the artist by analyzing their characteristic brush or pen strokes from high resolution scans of previously authenticated works. Much like a fingerprint, these characteristics can then be compared to a work in question. The method, to be published in an upcoming issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences promises to reduce the subjectivity of art assessments made by human experts."
It's a question of art history, not a question of "just as good".
A mediocre work by, say, Picasso, is interesting because it tells a story about his development as an artist, and therefore will likely have some monetary value to a collector or a museum. A mediocre work by, say, me, is just mediocre.
Museums don't exist just to show "good" pictures. Part of their mission is to preserve and illuminate the history of art.
Think of it this way: an early, buggy version of linux is interesting from a historical perspective, while an early, buggy version of my personal operating system is of little interesting to anybody.