AI Restored Frescoes

This project explores how artificial intelligence can assist in visualizing and partially reconstructing damaged architectural frescoes, focusing on the Landscape Room of the Palazzo Chigi in Ariccia, Italy. Originally featuring a series of painted outdoor scenes, the frescoes suffered significant damage during World War II due to Allied bombing campaigns, resulting in fragmented and damaged images. By combining archival black-and-white photographs with high-resolution images of the current condition, the study employed an AI image generation system (Google Gemini) to propose reconstructions of missing sections, integrating compositional cues and stylistic information from surviving fragments.

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The AI-generated outputs suggested plausible compositional continuities, revealing potential horizon lines and spatial sequencing. However, they also relied on generalized conventions and speculative elements, highlighting AI's role as an exploratory tool rather than a definitive reconstruction method. This project positions AI as a collaborative design tool that enhances spatial understanding and interpretive inquiry, emphasizing the need for human expertise to contextualize and evaluate its historical plausibility.