Maths and art at the Royal Society of Edinburgh

Mr hazelh and I listened to a fascinating talk at the RSE this evening. It was about the application of mathematical techniques in art. Professor Ingrid Daubechies explained how she and her fellow researchers have used wavelets for purposes such as confirming the attribution of pictures, restoring elements of paintings that have suffered damage or partial destruction, and reassembling fragments of destroyed artworks. The speaker focused on three case studies in particular: (1) a portrait of a peasant woman by Van Gogh; (2) the Ghent altarpiece; and (3) Ghissi's St John altarpiece. It's a pity that the talk wasn't longer than the usual one hour slot. With a little more time, I am sure that the speaker would have gladly shared many more interesting cases with us. 

Otherwise today I have brewed soup, exercised, and caught up on admin.

Exercise today: 1 hour on the exercise bike; swim (60 lengths); walking (16,170 steps).