Stroke segmentation in infrared reflectograms

Abstract

An algorithm for the automatic segmentation of strokes in underdrawings - the basic concept of the artist - in ancient panel paintings is presented. The purpose of the stroke analysis is the determination of the drawing tool used to draft the painting. This information allows significant support for a systematic stylistic approach in the analysis of paintings. Up to now, this analysis has been made by naked eye examination only, and the restricted human optical retentiveness complicated the comparison of different underdrawings with respect to drawing tools and stroke characteristics. Stroke segmentation in painting is related to the extraction and recognition of handwritings, therefore similar techniques to segment the strokes from the background incorporating boundary information are used. Following the segmentation, the approximation of the stroke boundary by a closed polygon done based on active contours. Results of the algorithms developed are presented for both test panels and real reflectograms. © Springer-Verlag 2003.