Lost 17th Century Painting Recreated with AI Revives Controversial History
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A 17th century painting by Diego Velázquez was destroyed in a palace fire in 1734, but has now been recreated with AI technology by artist Fernando Sánchez Castillo.
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The lost painting depicted the 1609 expulsion of the Moriscos, Muslims forced to convert to Christianity, from Spain.
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Sánchez Castillo used written descriptions of the original, a preliminary portrait study, and Photoshop and generative AI to recreate the composition.
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The project aimed to reconsider a historical event andtook place in stages, starting with a sketch then adding AI-generated visual elements.
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The artist sees AI as a powerful tool to empower aesthetics united to ethics, though its art world use remains controversial.