Laurens J.P. van der Maaten, born in Epe, the Netherlands, in 1984. Ph.D. from Tilburg University. Post-doctoral Researcher at Delft University of Technology.
Fellow (1 February 2013 – 30 April 2013)
TEXTURE ANALYSIS FOR THE ARTS
The research has resulted into the development of a new algorithm for the automatic analysis of painting canvases on the basis of x-rays. The new algorithm outperforms existing techniques in that it provides thread-level resolution analyses, and in that its working can be intuitively explained to and understood by art historians. I have demonstrated the value of the new algorithm on a collection of three alleged Nicolas Poussin paintings. Using the new algorithm, I have obtained very strong evidence that the three works are painted on canvas that originated from the same roll, which suggests the three paintings were made in the same workshop. This result is not in line with current art-historical beliefs, and as such, may lead to new art-historical insights. A publication on these results is in the works.