Digital Artist Brings Old Paintings To Life Using A Neural Network

Technology has developed a lot over the past 20 years; every day, people come up with something new. This digital artist decided to use a neural network to recreate the faces of people from famous paintings like the Mona Lisa and the Birth of Venus.

The artist is named Denis Shiryaev and it seems he has a fascination with recreating old photos and paintings and seeing how they would look now. Although not historically accurate, they’re still very fun to see!

Denis Shiryaev uses the facial expressions of other people from YouTube and TikTok and neural networks to make the recreations as realistic as he can. The Cambridge Dictionary describes a neural network as a computer system or a type of computer program that is designed to copy the way in which the human brain operates.

More info: youtube.com | neural.love | Instagram

Leonardo da Vinci “Mona Lisa” (1503–1506)

Image credits: Denis Shiryaev

Mona Lisa is a portrait painted by the famous Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. It was created in 1503 and has been kept in the Louvre Museum since 1797. This painting is famous all over the world and it would be very hard to find a person that knows nothing about it.

Frida Kahlo “Self-portrait” (1940)

Image credits: Denis Shiryaev

Frida Kahlo was a famous painter from Mexico, known for her self-portraits. Her work was inspired by nature as well as the artifacts and traditions of Mexico. In her art, she explored questions of identity, gender, class, and race roles in Mexico.

Sandro Botticelli “The Birth of Venus” (1485-1486)

Image credits: Denis Shiryaev

Painted by Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, the Birth of Venus is one of the most famous paintings in the world. Created somewhere between 1485–1486, it still remains one of the most beautiful pieces of art. The painting depicts the Roman goddess Venus emerging from the sea.

Leonardo da Vinci “Lady with an Ermine” (1489-1490)

Image credits: Denis Shiryaev

It is said that “The Lady with an Ermine” is a portrait of a beautiful woman named Cecilia Gallerani, who was the favorite mistress of the married Duke Ludovico Sforza, the Duke who was da Vinci’s patron and champion for 18 years, and had the nickname of “the white ermine.”

Grant Wood “American Gothic” (1930)

Image credits: Denis Shiryaev

American Gothic is a painting created by Grant Wood in 1930. The painting depicts simple farmers posing for a portrait. These farmers are actually just the sister and dentist of Grant Wood standing in front of a simple farmhouse.

Rembrandt van Rijn “The Night Watch” (1642)

Image credits: Denis Shiryaev

The Night Watch is a 1642 painting by Rembrandt van Rijn showing the Militia Company of District II under the command of Captain Frans Banninck Cocq.

Johannes Vermeer “Girl with a Pearl Earring” (1665)

Image credits: Denis Shiryaev

“Girl with a Pearl Earring” is a painting created in 1665 by a Dutch painter named Johannes Vermeer.

Sadly the iconic pearl earring is missing in Denis’ recreation.

What do you think of these recreations? Are they cool or creepy? Tell us in the comments and share what painting you would like to see recreated!

Here’s the video with the full process of how the paintings were recreated

Image credits: Denis Shiryaev