Characterizing elegance of curves computationally for distinguishing Morrisseau paintings and the imitations

Computerized analysis of paintings has recently gained interest. The rapid technological advancements and the expanding interdisciplinary collaboration present us a promising prospect of computer-assisted authentication. We focus on the characterization of curve elegance. Specifically, we propose measures of curve steadiness and neighborhood coherence from brushstrokes. The technique has been applied to the paintings of renowned aboriginal Canadian artist Norval Morrisseau. Through computerized analysis of his authentic works and the imitations, it is revealed that the curves in his authentic paintings exhibit his commanding painting skills. The smooth and steady flow of the curves show less hesitancy of the artist than the authors of counterfeit works. The tangent angles tend to be more consistent along curves in the authentic paintings than in the imitations.