Roman Busts Transformed
July 27 2020
Picture: medium.com
Posted by Adam Busiakiewicz:
Ever wanted to visualise the face behind a roman bust? Some clever computer experts have been busy making photorealistic portraits of Roman Emperors using ancient busts as guides. Magically, using a program that is given the rather sinister name ArtBreeder, we are now able to stare at the faces of Emperor Augustus and Maximinus Thrax.
The notion of transforming sculpture into real life is a very ancient one. Anyone who knows the story of Pygmalion will understand this narrative well. For me, at least, I relish the ability of art to defy human life and time, rather than to capitulate to it. Isn't the magic of seeing a piece of sculpture, or any work of art for that matter, is that you're given an opportunity to see something that you will never get to see in real life.
