Information technology and culture: Picasso painting to be studied using latest technologies

Queen Sofia Museum in Madrid is to begin next week the detailed photography of Picasso's "Guernica" using a special robot, said the director of the Museum Art Works Restoration Jorge Garcia Gomez-Tehedor.

He said the research is conducted in the context of the "Journey into the Depths of Guernica" program, funded by the Telefonica Spanish telecommunications company.

"We had to develop special computer programs to process thousands of photos of high resolution and create a three-dimensional image of the painting," explained Gomez-Tehedor.

According to him, the findings will be presented not only to the scientific public but also to the general public. It is planned to publish a scientific report, which will set out the methodology of such studies, including the preparatory phase and the research itself. On the basis of the Museum Art Works Restoration will open a methodical study, where experts will have an opportunity to gain practical skills in conducting such studies. In addition, research results will be posted on the Internet.

"At the first stage, we intend to conduct a photographic survey in the visible spectral region. To do this, we plan to make 23,000 to 24,000 color photographs, and then glue them to make a "big sheet". This process is very slow, since takimg a picture of high resolution requires up to two minutes," said the restorer Humberto Duran.

Then the picture will be studied using ultraviolet and infrared radiation. The work will be completed this June with the creation of three-dimensional multispectral image canvas.

"Such a large-scale study will be possible thanks to a specially designed robot made in Spain, which fully meets the stated objectives - to get a real picture of the condition of the fabric, as well as looking at "Guernica" from the inside," said Duran.

Upon completion of research of "Guernica," the robot that is universal and versatile, will be used for the study of other pictures that are stored in the museum, as well as for the restoration work.