Prototype

Since our last meeting, I have been deconstructing the painting. Initially, I attempted to use the Auto Selection Tool and the Magnetic Lasso Tool in Adobe Photoshop, but neither proved to be optimal. The Auto Selection Tool allows Photoshop to automatically select objects for the user. While I have used it before and found it to be effective in selecting objects like apples or the silhouettes of people in high-contrast photographs, it was not well-suited for paintings, especially one of such large scale as the 25-gigabyte, 58048x48576, 325psi Photoshop file in question. Similarly, the Magnetic Lasso Tool was not satisfactory either, as the smooth color transitions at the edges of the painting made it difficult for the tool to precisely capture the edges of the characters or objects.

Fortunately, my experience in tracing architectural drawings by masters such as Le Corbusier, Adolf Loos, and Álvaro Siza has honed my patience and attention to detail. This practice inspired me to deconstruct the painting by hand. Thanks to this method, I achieved significantly better results than those provided by the aforementioned tools. However, the process was time-consuming — the example below took approximately 5 hours, as I meticulously worked pixel by pixel to ensure precision. This meticulous approach has also allowed me to appreciate the level of detail and attention Rembrandt invested in this painting. For instance, the intricate and precise depiction of the knots on the wooden stick carried by the main character, Banning Cocq, was truly awe-inspiring. I thoroughly enjoyed tracing the edges of this character in the painting and am excited to delve deeper.

Once the painting has been fully deconstructed, I plan to utilize AI to fill in the empty parts. Simultaneously, I will conduct further research on 17th Century Amsterdam attire and seek guidance from NYU Art History professor Louise Rice, whose expertise lies in Renaissance and Baroque art and architecture.