Who finished El Greco's masterpiece? Scientists have tapped into AI
Scientists have used AI to study one of El Greco's paintings in a new way and have concluded that the artist himself may have been more involved in its completion than has been thought. This is important because it involves a centuries-old mystery of authorship.
It's about the painting "The Baptism of Christ".
Details
Art historians have long believed that El Greco did not finish "The Baptism of Christ" before his death in 1614, and the work was completed by his son Jorge Manuel.
Now researchers have decided to test this version using a new AI-based method called PATCH.
The system works like this: first, the surface of the painting is scanned in high resolution and a 3D map of the strokes is created. The algorithm then compares small sections of the painting - literally square by square - and tries to figure out whether they belong to the same "hand" or to different artists.
To test the method, the scientists first tested it on contemporary works by different authors. After that, the algorithm was applied to the "Baptism of Christ" and another painting by El Greco, which is considered to be mainly his own work.
The result was unexpected: the AI saw far more similarities between them than expected. This could mean that El Greco himself painted much of the controversial painting, or at least was more visibly involved in its completion than previously thought.
Why it matters
Such studies change the way we approach the study of the Old Masters.
They allow us to:
- more accurately understand the authorship of paintings
- separate the work of the artist from the contributions of the workshop and apprentices
- provide new arguments where documents are insufficient
AI does not replace art historians, but gives them a new tool for analysis.
Background
El Greco, like many Renaissance artists, did not work alone but with a workshop. Therefore, his paintings could combine the brushstrokes of the master himself and his assistants.
This is what has for years made it difficult to answer the question of who exactly completed the individual works.
Source
The study was published in the journal Science Advances (2026). The scientists used the PATCH method to analyse the surface of El Greco's paintings and compare artistic "handwriting".