00:00Hidden deep in southwest China, this sacred site offers a window into the past.
00:09The rock carvings of Tazou are a stunning example of Chinese cave art,
00:13but perhaps the most important thing about these statues here
00:16is what they tell us about the life and belief in China more than a thousand years ago.
00:21I'll discover how advanced digital technology and AI are safeguarding these relics.
00:30In Europe, we'll also see what's being done to restore a Dutch national treasure.
00:35Welcome to Crossing Cultures. Join us as we explore the very best traditions of both China and Europe.
00:53The Tazou rock carvings are one of the finest examples of Chinese cave temple art.
01:00Dating from the 9th to the 13th centuries, more than 10,000 figures chart the evolution
01:05of religious belief and artistic expression.
01:09In Yuanjue cave, 12 bodhisattvas advance towards perfect enlightenment.
01:15They are safeguarded by an ingenious stone drainage system
01:19that has protected the grotto for centuries.
01:21I heard that Yuanjue cave is also an important project of research.
01:27This project is a project that wants to build a world of human beings
01:31with all-in-the-art disease and mental medicine table.
01:33The 3-way infection is not only visible in the 3-way image,
01:38but also from the平面 to the立体 of the technology.
01:43Sie können sehen, dass die Schleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch.
02:13Die Schleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch.
02:43Die Schleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kleuch-Kle
03:13Bikes, bridges, cafés, canals.
03:19Amsterdam conjures up so many things.
03:23But if there's one place that truly captures its cultural heart,
03:26it's here, the Rijksmuseum.
03:29A temple to the Dutch Golden Age,
03:31one painting still reigns supreme, Rembrandt's Nightwatch.
03:36The Nightwatch is Rembrandt's most ambitious painting.
03:39He painted it at the pinnacle of his career,
03:43and it's special because it's also a deeply humane painting.
03:49Since 2019, a major restoration in full view of the public
03:53has been taking place.
03:54Right now, conservators like Esther are delicately removing
03:58the old varnish from the imposing canvas.
04:02Esther, why are you removing the varnish?
04:05We are removing the varnish from the Nightwatch
04:07because it's a very yellow layer.
04:09It has aged over time.
04:11It's 50 years old.
04:12And it's also a bit greyish
04:14because it doesn't saturate the paint layers as well as it should.
04:19And how complex is a restoration like this?
04:22What are the main challenges you face?
04:24The painting is very big,
04:25which is a challenge in and of itself.
04:27The project itself is very big.
04:29We're doing a lot of research,
04:30and that makes everything exponentially bigger and more complex.
04:35Every move Esther makes is supported by the museum's science team,
04:39who examine the masterpiece in microscopic detail.
04:43The research we do with our team
04:48is really to understand the composition and condition of the Nightwatch.
04:53And this information helps conservators to make decisions in their treatment.
04:58So we have technology where we really scan through the painting.
05:01We do imaging.
05:02It will also take tiny samples to really dive into the paint
05:05and to really understand what has happened over these 400 years.
05:12The Nightwatch is really an icon for the Netherlands.
05:16And this restoration we're doing for the future,
05:19and future generations will see a Nightwatch,
05:22which will be much clearer, easier to read,
05:25but also have more depth.
05:27The contrast between light and dark for which Rembrandt is so famous
05:31will be more apparent.
05:33So that's why we decided that this is the time to restore it.
05:37400 years have taken their toll.
05:40Previous restorations, exposure to the elements,
05:42and a violent attack of all left scars.
05:45So what's the painting's condition today?
05:48The condition of the painting is, I would love to say, good.
05:52But if you're looking under the microscope,
05:54you can see that it's a damaged paint surface,
05:57which is not strange.
05:58I mean, it is 400 years old, but, yeah, it's compromised.
06:03As for restoring one of the world's greatest paintings
06:06in front of the public, that was never in doubt.
06:09The Nightwatch, it's, in a sense, world heritage,
06:12and it belongs to everyone.
06:14And we felt that the public has the right
06:16to see what we're doing to the painting.
06:20The Rijksmuseum has also moved
06:22with much of its vast collection online,
06:25another innovative way in which it engages its audience.
06:30The public changes, and you have to keep changing
06:33and finding new ways of presentation.
06:37So I think it's incredibly important for a museum
06:40to keep on moving, to keep on changing,
06:43and to keep on showing this fantastic art,
06:47which is timeless.
06:49To bring Dato's ancient heritage to life,
06:59an 8K panoramic dome now allows visitors
07:02to study the carvings in stunning detail.
07:04Ava-kanevsky noir, the
07:08of the greatest art,
07:10one of the greatest art
07:12in theia-world world of the history
07:14Now it's the greatest art
07:14in the ancient tales that
07:16the art of the world
07:17and the most famous art
07:18-like design of the art
07:19is known as a film
07:21and the most powerful art
07:22that shows the art
07:24for a different kind of artist
07:25and using US Arche
07:28and making a masterful
07:29in the art
07:30and making the art
07:32So there you have it, some innovative and inspiring ways in which China and Europe are working to display and preserve a heritage.
07:51For now, that's all from me here in Chongqing. Until the next time, thanks for watching.
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