Multifractal Fingerprints in the Visual Arts

Abstract

The similarity in fractal dimensions of paint ``blobs'' in samples of gestural expressionist art implies that these pigment structures are statistically indistinguishable from one another. This result suggests that such dimensions cannot be used as a ``fingerprint'' for identifying the work of a single artist. To overcome this limitation, the multifractal spectrum is adopted as an alternative tool for artwork analysis. For the pigment blobs, it is demonstrated that this spectrum can be used to isolate a construction paradigm or art style. Additionally, the fractal dimensions of edge structures created by luminance gradients on the canvas are analyzed, yielding a potential method for visual discrimination of fractally-similar paintings.