The Digital Delacroix project will bring powerful AI tools to address important questions surrounding the work of 19th century artist Eugene Delacroix. The announcement came on the heels of the AI Action Summit in Paris. The project will harness artificial intelligence, 3D technology, and digital humanities to offer a new perspective on the work and creative process of the master of Romanticism.

A project centered on research and cultural mediation

• Online publication of Eugène Delacroix's correspondence: Over 2,500 letters will be digitized with annotations and both diplomatic and modernized transcriptions. A comprehensive digital corpus of Delacroix's writings, along with texts written about him during his lifetime.
• Identifying artistic contributions in paintings from the library of the French National Assembly: Delacroix worked with several assistants on this major project for nearly 10 years. AI and new imaging technologies will analyze and attribute specific artist contributions.  
• Cross-analysis of Eugène Delacroix's digital corpus: By comparing his texts, paintings, drawings and prints, AI will reveal new connections between ideas, concepts and artistic creations, shedding new light on the evolution of his work.
• 3D reconstruction of the lost décor of the Salon de la Paix at the Hôtel de Ville in Paris: Destroyed during a fire in 1871, this décor will be digitally reconstructed from Delacroix's preparatory studies and surviving decorative works.

The "Digital Delacroix" project has the potential to reach greater heights thanks to the significant support provided by the Schmidt Sciences, cofounded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt. As a result, the project is entering a new phase of development, enabling the recruitment of postdoctoral researchers specializing in AI applied to art history.

The multidisciplinary team behind "Digital Delacroix" includes specialists in art history, artificial intelligence, scientific visualization, and material analysis to tackle the project's major challenges expertise including:

• The Sorbonne Center for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI, Sorbonne University)
• L’Observatoire des patrimoines de l’Alliance Sorbonne Université (The Heritage Observatory)
• Le Centre André Chastel (Sorbonne University / CNRS / Ministry of Culture)
• L’Observatoire des textes, des idées et des corpus (ObTIC, Sorbonne University)
• Le Laboratoire d’archéologie moléculaire et structurale (LAMS, Sorbonne Université / CNRS). 

Learn more:

• Read our article on the Virtual Reconstruction of Delacroix's Decorative Works
• Schmidt Sciences Humanities and AI Virtual Institute