Viljandi Museum displays AI reconstruction of Köler’s lost giant painting

Viljandi Museum is showing an AI-generated reconstruction of Johann Köler’s lost monumental painting, created from a single black-and-white photograph, ERR reports.

The work, titled “Awakening from the Witch’s Sleep,” was presented to the public on Saturday. Painted in 1864, it measures 4.3 by 3.2 metres. The reconstruction will remain on view at the museum through Sunday.

Exhibition curator Kristjan Mändmaa described the painting as a political work. It depicts a German junker entering a tomb and lifting a coffin lid, where an Estonian maiden emerges. The junker tries to take an amulet from her neck, representing Estonian land. Mändmaa said the image reflected Köler’s view of the injustice of Estonians having no land while Germans held it.

The painting caused controversy at the time, Mändmaa said, with Baltic German newspapers furious and Köler receiving threats. A legend suggests that Baltic Germans later destroyed the work.

Three exhibitions marking the 200th anniversary of Köler’s birth have drawn unusually large audiences in Viljandi. The Kondas Centre has had nearly 11,000 visitors, Rüki Gallery 2,500, and the museum expects more than 13,000 during its exhibition. Music educator and orchestra conductor Harry Illak said his view of Köler and his work had changed considerably after repeated visits.