Job description -Computer vision engineer

Location: SCAI, Sorbonne Université, 4 place Jussieu 75005 Paris 
Terms: fixed-term contract, full-time
Duration: 2.5 years

About the project Digital Delacroix

This project, conceived by Barthélémy Jobert, a professor specializing in Eugène Delacroix, seeks to explore Delacroix’s creative process and artistic production in innovative ways by leveraging the tools of AI, 3D visualization, digital humanities, and physico-chemical analysis of materials.
Within Sorbonne University, it draws on the expertise developed in several laboratories :

● the Sorbonne Cluster for Artificial Intelligence (SCAI)
● the André Chastel Center (research laboratory in art history)
● the Observatory of Texts, Ideas, and Corpora (ObTIC)
● and the Laboratory of Molecular and Structural Archaeology (LAMS)

The project aims at developing AI-based models adapted to three main research areas:

  1. Cross-analysis of the digital corpus of Delacroix’s works To highlight the links, networks, concepts, and themes that characterize Delacroix’s work and interests at different points in his life. This will enable the identification of previously unexplored links between ideas in his vast oeuvre, encompassing both writings and paintings, leading to a renewed understanding of the artist.

  2. Identification of authorships in the paintings of the National Assembly library While Delacroix conceived the entire decor, he surrounded himself with several assistants (Lassalle-Bordes, Louis de Planet) to execute this monumental decor created over nearly 10 years (1838-1847), which is the largest and most ambitious of his career. The extent of this collaboration has never been precisely studied, so we wish to develop a methodology to determine the different artists that were involved in the execution of this monumental decor.

  3. Reconstructing the lost decor of the Salon de la Paix at the Paris City Hall Building on these experiments and using the data gathered to identify the master’s hand, we aim to recreate the decoration of the Salon de la Paix, painted by Delacroix at the Hôtel de Ville and completely destroyed in the 1871 fire. The artist’s drawings and sketches, along with prints depicting the decor and historical photographs of the space, will provide all the necessary source material. This significant decor, restored within the 3D reconstructed salon, would offer a glimpse into an iconic Parisian location that is now very difficult to know and study.

These various research strands will draw upon the extensive work on Delacroix by Barthélémy Jobert, the digital edition of the artist’s correspondence, the numerous digitized works held by major cultural institutions, and particularly the crucial data gathered during photographic campaigns to digitize the National Assembly Library’s decor during its 2024 restoration. These diverse corpora will serve as databases, both for the digital reconstruction of these spaces, for use by researchers and the public alike, and to train models based on the precise annotation of images and texts.

Job description

We are seeking a computer vision engineer to join our team in SCAI and work collaboratively with the Centre André Chastel. The successful candidate will be responsible for developing and applying machine learning algorithms to analyze and interpret visual art, leveraging cutting-edge tools such as image processing, generative AI, and digital humanities. As a computer vision engineer, you will contribute to this project by designing and developing AI-based models for two main research areas:

  1. Identification of authorships in the paintings of the National Assembly library
    You will develop a methodology to determine the artists involved in the execution of Delacroix's monumental decor, using historical drawings, sketches, prints, and photographs.

  2. Reconstructing the lost decor of the “Salon de la paix”
    Generative-based computer vision tools to recreate the decoration of the salon de la paix, which was painted by Delacroix and destroyed in a fire.

Responsibilities

Requirements

Additional Requirements

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