The Portrait of
Lucretia Romana

In the pursuit of exploring the discourse surrounding violence against women, we found ourselves drawn to the story of Lucrezia Romana – a woman of strength and courage who has stood the test of time as a symbol of feminine self-determination

r story dates back 2,500 years, to a time when she was violated by the son of the Etruscan king, Tarquin the Proud. Her death ultimately led to the fall of the Roman monarchy and the dawn of a new Republic. Narrated by Titus Livius 500 years after the events, and immortalized through the words of Shakespeare 2,000 years later, Lucrezia’s tale has resonated throughout the ages.

We knew that the only way to truly capture the essence of her story was through art. So we embarked on a project to create a digital masterpiece that would combine the artistic mastery of Cranach with the poetic prose of Shakespeare. Our aim was to bring her story to the present, using technology and artificial intelligence to create an immersive and emotionally-charged experience.

Once again, we turned to the incomparable talents of Gaia Riposati, whose on-screen performance was transformed through the use of various AI algorithms, to bring Cranach’s painting to life and give voice to Shakespeare’s words. In this way, two 17th-century masters were brought together four centuries later, united in a powerful artistic expression of Lucrezia’s story.

The result was a stunning performance, seamlessly fusing the past with the present, the art with the technology, and the history with the emotion. It was as though we had closed a 2,500-year-old circle, bringing Lucrezia’s story into the light once again, and celebrating the strength and determination of women through the ages. We are deeply proud to have been a part of this project, which melded our love for history and art with our technological curiosity and creativity.