Ottobre, 2021

Few artists enjoy such worldwide fame as Gustav Klimt. The new Google Arts & Culture online retrospective “Klimt vs. Klimt – The Man of Contradictions” puts the spotlight on the artist’s eclectic work and life. A Machine Learning experiment recolored photographs of lost Klimt paintings, while a “Pocket Gallery” brings some of his most iconic works into your living room in augmented reality and 3D. Together with more than 120 stories about his art and personality, a virtual tour of his studio, and many more highlights from the collections of over 30 cultural institutions around the world, “Klimt vs. Klimt” forms one of the most comprehensive online experiences about the artist.

Klimt’s legacy poses many unsolved questions, not least due to the fact that approximately 20% of his artworks were lost over the course of history. Among the most prominent and painful losses are the so-called Faculty Paintings, created on behalf of the University of Vienna and rejected by the latter for being overly critical towards science. In 1945, only days before the Second World War ended, the paintings were lost to a fire at Immendorf Castle in Austria. What these major works looked like could only be guessed at from black and white photographs taken in the early 1900s, unable were they to convey the magic that makes Klimt’s artworks so captivating — the bold colours, the revolutionary approach to textures, the shocking directness of his figures. Until today.

Using the opportunities offered by machine learning, enhanced by the knowledge of internationally renowned Klimt expert and curator at the Belvedere, Dr. Franz Smola, the team at the Google Arts & Culture Lab was able to reconstruct the colours that Klimt might have used for the Faculty Paintings, thus restoring them to their fully colored beauty. For the first time in 70 years, people can experience his artworks in the colors he might have used.

Experience the art of Klimt in new ways online

The paintings are the true centerpiece of “Klimt vs. Klimt”. The retrospective brings together more than 120 of the artist’s most famous masterpieces, as well as lesser known works, and assembles an expertly curated selection in an immersive Pocket Gallery that you can experience in augmented reality on mobile or in 3D on web. This was made possible thanks to a collaboration between Google Arts & Culture and over 30 partners and institutions – with the Belvedere, the Albertina, the Klimt Foundation, the Neue Galerie New York and the Metropolitan Museum of Arts among them. Over 60 masterworks by Klimt have also been captured in ultra high resolution with Google’s Art Camera. Come in closer to see “The Kiss” like never before!

Over guacamole and corn chips at a party, a friend mentions that her favorite phone game uses augmented reality. Another friend points her phone at the host and shouts, “Watch out—a t-rex is sneaking up behind you.” Eager to join the conversation, you blurt, “My blender has an augmented reality setting.“

If only you had looked up augmented reality in Google’s Machine Learning Glossary, which defines over 460 terms related to artificial intelligence, you’d know what the heck your friends are talking about. If you’ve ever wondered what a neural network is, or if you chronically confuse the negative class with the positive class at the doctor’s office (“Wait, the negative class means I’m healthy?”), the Glossary has you covered.

AI is increasingly intertwined with our future, and as the language of AI sneaks its way into household conversation, learning AI’s specialized vocabulary could be helpful to understanding many key technological advances — or what’s being said at a guacamole party.

A team of technical writers and AI experts produces the definitions. Sure, the definitions have to be technically accurate, but they also have to be as clear as possible. Clarity is rare in a field as notoriously complicated as artificial intelligence, which is why we created Google’s Machine Learning glossary in 2016. Since then, we’ve published nine full revisions, providing almost 300 additional terms.

Good glossaries are quicksand for the curious. You’ll come for the accuracy, stay for the class-imbalanced datasets, and then find yourself an hour later embedded in overfitting. It’s fun, educational, and blessedly blender free.

Argentina’s table is a journey through Argentina, an atlas of diverse recipes and ingredients with ancient and modern origins, following the many journeys of the immigrants who have brought so many influences and flavors to this special cuisine.

In collaboration with five cultural institutions including Gustar — an initiative of the Ministry of Culture, ArgenINTA Foundation, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports of Argentina — Google Arts & Culture’s latest project brings together all that Argentina’s gastronomic scene has to offer, from traditional fare to contemporary culinary trends.

Few gastronomic cultures in the world have as many globally-recognizable landmarks as Argentine cuisine: from “asado,” with its amazing high-quality beef and flame grilling techniques, or “empanadas,” a true icon that come in so many different recipes across the country to “yerba mate,” a ritual originated from an indigenous plant.

European influences and majestic landscapes

This multicultural country is a melting pot of flavors with surprising culinary encounters, made of traditional native dishes and delectable European influences, like the family favorites pizza and pasta. Over the years, immigrants have shaped Argentine food culture into the diverse field it is today.

But food is also an integral part of the incredible Argentinian landscapes: For example, the astonishingly beautiful views of Patagonia are home to mountains and icebergs, where seafood, lamb, fruit and chocolate are produced. In Argentina’s capital people find the rhythm of tango and the chatter from the cafes of Buenos Aires embedded in the food.

Regional fare

Google Arts and Culture’s latest project not only dives into the lively food scene of Argentina, it also explores the richness of its people. The country is in fact a producer of high quality products that serve as the basis for its notable dishes. See, for example, oranges in the Littoral region, cassava flour in Misiones province in the northeast or honey in Santiago del Estero.

Today, the world has the opportunity to sit down at Argentina’s table, a place for celebrations, gathering and integration of diversity.

I sincerely hope you enjoy it. Bon appetit!