El Greco’s Paintings Reconsidered as AI Examination Challenges Workshop Theory

El Greco’s “The Baptism of Christ,” perchance completed by his workshop, and “Christ connected the Cross with Landscape” (c. 1600–1610). Credit: Wikimedia Commons; Cleveland Museum of Art / Public domain

El Greco, the Greek-born creator who became 1 of Spain’s astir celebrated Renaissance artists, is astatine the halfway of a caller AI survey that challenges long-held ideas astir however immoderate of his large paintings were created.

The research, led by Andrew Van Horn and published successful “Science Advances,” uses artificial quality to analyse microscopic details successful overgarment surfaces. The findings suggest that variations erstwhile linked to store assistants whitethorn alternatively bespeak changes successful the artist’s ain technique.

Born successful Crete arsenic Domenikos Theotokópoulos (Greek: Δομήνικος Θεοτοκόπουλος), El Greco trained successful the Greek contented of icon painting earlier moving to Italy and aboriginal settling successful Toledo, Spain. His enactment blended Byzantine influences with elements of the Italian Renaissance, creating a distinctive benignant marked by elongated figures and beardown colour contrasts. Art historians person agelong viewed this inheritance arsenic cardinal to his creator identity.

AI sheds airy connected creator process

Painting successful the Renaissance was often a collaborative process. Masters typically worked with assistants and apprentices who helped implicit ample commissions. This has made it hard for scholars to find which parts of a coating were created by the maestro and which were done by others.

To code this problem, researchers developed a machine-learning method known arsenic PATCH. Instead of analyzing wide style, the strategy examines tiny aboveground textures near by brushstrokes. These microscopic features tin uncover however overgarment was applied and whether antithetic areas of a coating were created nether akin conditions.

The squad archetypal tested the method connected modern paintings produced by known artists. The strategy accurately distinguished betwixt works created by antithetic individuals and those made by the aforesaid painter. This validation allowed researchers to use the method to humanities works.

Two paintings connection contrasting results

The survey focused connected 2 paintings attributed to El Greco: “The Baptism of Christ” and “Christ connected the Cross with Landscape.” Art historians person traditionally viewed the archetypal arsenic a collaborative enactment involving members of El Greco’s workshop, perchance including his lad Jorge Manuel. The 2nd has mostly been considered a enactment completed wholly by the creator himself.

New AI probe is reshaping however we spot El Greco.

A survey successful Science Advances suggests immoderate paintings thought to impact store assistants whitethorn really bespeak the artist’s ain changing technique. pic.twitter.com/YUMZs3l16R

— Tom Marvolo Riddle (@tom_riddle2025) April 20, 2026

Analysis of “The Baptism of Christ” revealed 4 chiseled regions with antithetic coating characteristics. At first, this appeared to enactment the thought of aggregate contributors. However, researchers recovered that galore of these regions remained intimately connected astatine a microscopic level. They accidental this level of similarity is hard to explicate if the coating were divided among intelligibly abstracted artists.

Instead, the findings suggest that a azygous creator whitethorn person utilized antithetic techniques crossed the canvas. These differences could bespeak variations successful brushwork, materials, oregon creator attack wrong the aforesaid work.

Greek roots stay disposable successful the technique

Researchers accidental the results item the value of El Greco’s aboriginal grooming successful Crete. His inheritance successful Greek icon coating shaped his creator methods earlier helium encountered Italian influences. The survey suggests that variations wrong “The Baptism of Christ” whitethorn bespeak this evolving benignant alternatively than the engagement of aggregate painters.

In contrast, the investigation of “Christ connected the Cross” showed constricted saltation crossed the painting. The results enactment the presumption that the enactment was mostly created by a azygous artist. Any insignificant differences whitethorn beryllium linked to aboriginal restoration oregon harm alternatively than abstracted contributors.

Study challenges accepted interpretations

The findings bash not regularisation retired the relation of workshops successful Renaissance art. However, they suggest that the bound betwixt idiosyncratic and collaborative enactment whitethorn beryllium little wide than antecedently believed. Differences wrong a azygous coating whitethorn bespeak shifts successful method alternatively than aggregate hands.

Researchers accidental the method could besides beryllium utilized successful different fields, including conservation and representation analysis. For creation history, the survey provides a caller mode to analyse authorship and method by focusing connected details invisible to the quality eye.

The results connection a revised presumption of El Greco’s work. They suggest that immoderate paintings thought to impact respective artists whitethorn alternatively bespeak the scope and improvement of a azygous creator shaped by some Greek and European traditions.