AI and Artworks. Object Detection, Image Classification and Iconographic Analysis.

AI is transforming how we approach images of the past and present. This workshop is dedicated to the subject of AI-supported object detection, image classification and iconographic analysis, with a focus on drawn, painted and printed content. 21 contributors will draw on large- and small-scale datasets and explore the current possibilities and limitations of AI in this area: https://indico.global/event/15085/contributions/
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Programme:

THURSDAY, APRIL 16
08:45 – 09:00 Arrival and Registration
09:00 – 09:30 I n t r o d u c t i o n
Doris Gruber, IHB, Austrian Academy of Sciences / Maria Theisen, IMAFO, Austrian Academy of Sciences / Jan Odstrčilík, MLA2S, Austrian Academy of Sciences

09:30 – 11:00 P a n e l: M o d e l s
Chair: Matteo Valleriani, MPIWG Berlin

Meta-Acervos – Thiago Hersan, Parsons School of Design / Giselle Beiguelman, University of São Paulo / Ana Gonçalves Magalhães, University of São Paulo

A Benchmark Dilemma: Between Representativeness and Domain-Specificity – Marta Kipke, Center for Humanities Computing, Aarhus University / Louise Brix Pilegaard Hansen, Center for Humanities Computing, Aarhus University

Learning from Small Data: Adapting Pretrained Diffusion Models for 17th Century Painting – Katarina Mohar, Research Centre of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts, ZRC SAZU / Rok Vrabič, University of Ljubljana

11:00 – 11:30 Coffee Break

11:30 – 13:00 P a n e l: A u g m e n t e d D a t a
Chair: Thomas Wallnig, University of Vienna

Beyond Vision: Metadata-Augmented AI for Iconclass Classification in Medieval Manuscripts – Drew Thomas, University of Salzburg / Julia Hintersteiner, University of Salzburg

Digital Iconology. Classification and Association in Visual Knowledge Systems – Charles van den Heuvel, University of Amsterdam, Huygens Institute / Etienne Posthumus, FIZ Karlsruhe / Hans Brandhorst, ICONCLASS

Exploring AI Approaches on Image Data Mining in Collections of the Austrian National Library – Carla Maria Schnedlitz, Christoph Steindl, Johannes Knüchel, Simon Mayer, Austrian National Library

13:00 –14:00 Lunch Break

14:00 - 15:30 P a n e l: L a y o u t
Chair: Marion Romberg, University of Bonn

Computational Analysis of Medieval Pen Flourishing – Markus Seidl, Florian Kibler, Victor-Adriel De-Jesus-Oliveira, University of Applied Sciences St. Pölten / Martin Haltrich, Max Theisen, Research Center Stift Klosterneuburg

AI and Automatic Visual Recognition: Some Thoughts on the New Digital Methodologies for Image Retrieval – Barbara Tramelli, Freie Universität Bozen

Large-scale Study of Text-Image Layout in 20th-Century Periodicals – As a Reaction to the Absence of Archival Documents – Marta Pizzagalli, Università della Svizzera italiana / Cambridge University / Rocco Felici, Università della Svizzera italiana / Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana

15:30 – 15:45 Coffee Break

15:45 – 16:30 P o s t e r S e s s i o n

Artificially Intelligent Art History? A Transcultural Evaluation of Algorithmic Systems Building on Aby Warburg’s Mnemosyne Atlas – Mert Özdemir, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Faces of Nobility. AI-Assisted Image Analysis of the Wiener Salonblatt (1870–1938) – Christian Lendl, Austrian Academy of Sciences

Toward Digital Iconologies in Architecture – Nick Mols, Royal Museums of Art and History, Brussels

16:30 – 16:45 Coffee Break

16:45 – 17:45 P a n e l: B i a s
Chair: Chiara Zuanni, University for Continuing Education Krems

Disentangling Bias – Model, Corpus, or Both? – Ellen Charlesworth, University of Luxembourg / Ludovica Schaerf, University of Zurich

The Algorithmic Canon and the Politics of Non-Western Visibility in the Age of AI – Elham Etemadi, Arkin University of Creative Arts and Design

17:45 – 18:00 Break

18:00 – 19:00 K e y n o t e
Chair: Doris Gruber, IHB, Austrian Academy of Sciences

The Stables of Augeas: Standardizing Metadata with Iconclass Will Benefit AI – Etienne Posthumus, FIZ Karlsruhe / Hans Brandhorst, ICONCLASS

FRIDAY, APRIL 17
09:00 – 10:00 K e y n o t e
Chair: Maria Theisen, IMAFO, Austrian Academy of Sciences

Attributes, Objects, Poses, Scenes and Bias: Retrospective and Future Challenges of Art History and Computer Vision – Peter Bell, Philipps-University Marburg

10:00 – 10:20 Coffee Break

10:20 – 11:20 P a n e l: R e l a t i o n s
Chair: Doris Gruber, IHB, Austrian Academy of Sciences

From Data to Context: AI-Based Style Attribution in Art History – Raphael Rosenberg, Teresa Kamencek, University of Vienna / Velitchko Filipov, Michaela Tuscher, Silvia Miksch, Technical University of Vienna

Embedding-Based Image Analysis for Art Historical Research: Integrating AI into Digital Catalogues Raisonnés – Kiersten Thamm, HPF Innovations GmbH, Navigating.art

11:20 – 11:40 Coffee Break

11:40 – 13:10 P a n e l: C o l l e c t i o n s
Chair: Maria Theisen, IMAFO, Austrian Academy of Sciences

Object Detection for Visual Analysis of Medieval Charters: Decoration and Its Makers in Papal Documents – Florian Atzenhofer-Baumgartner, University of Graz / Martin Roland, Austrian Academy of Sciences

Between Potential and Practicality: Exploring AI’s Potential in an Incomplete, Low-Resource Art Collection – Zsuzsa Sidó, Institute of Art History, ELTE Research Center for the Humanities, Art Collection of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences

Using AI for Icon Analysis – Ljudmila Djukic, Belgrade