ASML gallery. (Image Credit: ASML/X)
I would want a print from this tech, for sure. I fear the potential price.
ASML and the Van Gogh Museum partnered to develop a 3D scanner capable of producing extremely detailed replicas of Vincent Van Gogh’s paintings. The famous artist used the Impasto technique, which involved applying thick and textured layers of paint. The “Impasto Project” utilizes a 3D scanner to capture up to 100 GB of data/painting. The partnership formed in 2017 and continued into 2019. Since then, work has moved ahead rapidly, and both partners expect to continue the Impasto Project until 2028.
The 3D scanner, attached to a rail-guided frame, captures images of paintings in segments. Its camera photographs each area four times at marginally different angles, ensuring detailed imaging. With this image data, the software can calculate paint thickness according to the shadow cast from different angles.
Although ASML’s measuring equipment operates at nanometer-level precision, the 3D scanner works at a scale approximately 100,000 times larger. Even then, the hardware and software still needed to be heavily customized to meet the curators’ specifications.
The scanner is also capable of autonomously performing paint inspections before and after being loaned to other institutions. This allows curators to find any impacts from handling, temperature, and moisture changes while institutions loan the paintings. These inspections can help improve the shipping and handling of the artwork.
ASML hasn’t expressed concern over the costs of non-core areas, including the Impasto Project, which costs a few million per year. In addition, approximately 10 to 15 employees are working on the project. Now that the ASML partnership has been extended and 3D scanning has become more common, Van Gogh Museum visitors can explore a new science center in the museum. In this area, the 3D scanner is on display, along with art conservation and curation technologies.
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